The Skin Thief
by lPhoenixSpiritl
Summary: AU Peter and Olivia are on a new case to catch a killer who's murdering women for their flesh before he strikes again. Rated M for gore and smut.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**This is my first try at a fic and I swear this is a Fringe fic but it doesn't become obvious until next chapter, let me know what you think.  
**

Chapter 1

The date had gone well, and that's why she was nervously fiddling with her keys at her doorstep, giving her hands and eyes something else to interest themselves in while the rest of her tried to loosen the nervous knot in her stomach, just enough to ask him inside.

Who would have thought she'd find the offspring of and TallDarkandHandsome in a coffee shop. It was so cliche, she almost didn't believe it, but here she was, after a perfect date looking for the courage to invite him in. She, like some dorky middle schooler, still had the napkin with his phone number. Its slightly crumpled form on her nightstand next to the phone that she had held in a death grip while her shaking fingers dialed the digits that would connect her to him.

"Jess? Is everything alright?"

Her head snapped up but when her eyes caught sight of him she dropped them almost as fast.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come in?" she mumbled mostly to herself.

"What was that beb?" he asked a thread of worry in his voice.

Beb, he started calling her that after a few hours worth of phone conversations. The phone had given her some security. She could talk freely to him and not worry that he'd see her blush or do something embarrassing. It gave her a way to feel him out and get to know him, feel safe with him without leaving her home.

"Beb?" he called again, his tone soft but clear enough to reach her, "if I'm making you uncomfortable I can go no har-"

"Wouldyouliketocomeinside?" she blurted a little to loudly. She could feel a blush starting to creep up her neck trying to stain her cheeks.

He stared at her for a moment blinking a little to hard, she glued her eyes to the floor of her porch admiring the grain of the wood as her stomach churned at the thought of her embarrassment.

He looked at her a small smile playing upon his lips that grew into a soft chuckle. She felt small pinpricks behind her eyes as tears began to form. He was laughing at her, she had made a fool of herself and now he was laughing at her. She made a run for the door but he grabbed her wrist and spun her to face him tilting her chin up to look at him, his hand warm almost hot. The laughter on his face melted away to concern then to worry at the sight of the tears that had begun to work their way down her cheeks, leaving shining silver tracks in their wake.

"Oh beb," he enveloped her in his arms and pulled her close, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I would love to come in, I didn't mean to make you cry I swear."

"Then why did you laugh at me?" she half sobbed and half mumbled into his shirt.

He slid a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. "Because you were nervous, you're adorable when you're nervous."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Do you still want to come in?"

"I would love too beb."

She fumbled with her keys, finally opening the door leading him inside. He pulled the door in behind him leaving behind small black marks on the door knob that she never noticed. They went on to share a bottle of wine and stories of their pasts and what they wanted from the future. He listened to her ramblings about what she truly wanted from life an he listened with genuine interest. After a few hours and a few more glasses than hours he stood up and said,

"I have two choices, I can put on my coat and stumble home and wait by the phone for your call tomorrow, or ..." he trailed off as he looked down at her with a smile.

"Or what?" she asked, not really wanting him to leave.

"Or you can let me kiss you and see where it leads us. So tell me what should be my decision?"

Feeling warm and brave from the alcohol in her veins but still not trusting of her words, she stood up and closed the gap between them. Tilting her head up she allowed her lips to meet his, sealing her plans for the night. She took his hand and led him to her bedroom.

As they left behind cold wooden floors and hit the plush carpet of her bedroom she turned around and kissed him once more gently, still unsure of herself. His hands found her hips and the edge of her blouse, they wandered up her shirt in search of skin to skin contact and found it pulling a sigh from her lips. He kissed her again deeper but with only a small amount of force, letting her set the pace. Pushing her would only spook her and lead to a quick ending of the night. Her pulse quickened as he found the edge of her breasts, the touch sending a thrill through her stomach that sparked a heat in lower places. She unclenched her fists from her sides and brought them to touch his chest finding his heart beat to be as wild and fast as hers and his skin warm almost hot, she started to undo the buttons of his shirt, wanting to see more, no feel more of him. She was touch starved, she'd unknowingly longed to be skin to skin with another being. She'd been living off of bits and pieces, a brush here a shoulder pat there, like crumbs strewn about a table, but crumbs could never be as filling as a meal.

This realization made her bold, she removed his shirt as he stood still so that she may do with him as she wished, letting her take control, moving as fast and as far as she felt comfortable with. As his shirt fell to the floor she moved his hands to remove her blouse. His eyes flicked from her face to her chest and back, his eyes asking questions in the silence. She gave him a slight not of approval and he made quick work of her bra letting it join the rest of their clothing silently on the floor. She looked over her shoulder to the ample queen sized bed, covered in solid cream linens and looked back at him biting her lip, unsure how to make it from the doorframe to the bed, the fire in her dying a little in her insecurity. Sensing her worry he led her to the bed taking the lead with him. He laid her down and kissed her softly working his way down from her lips to the hollow in her neck that made her shudder and grab hold of his hips. He worked his way lower placing small kisses along the top side of her clavicle as he went to work on her jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping. He worked his mouth lower to capture a nipple between his lips, running the length of his tongue along the tip causing her jaw to slacken and her back to arch just enough for him to slide her jeans down her hips taking her underwear with them. He released her, leaving behind a hard glistening peak as evidence of his work.

He went to stand at the bottom edge of the bed so he could work her jeans off her legs, past her knees, down her calves, unhooking them from her ankles and feet. He dropped them to the floor and admired what was laid before him. Her body laid bare to him, every uninterrupted inch of smooth skin flushed pink with heat and lust. He climbed between her knees and crawled up until he could press his lips to hers, his hands finding her hips once more and hip lips worked their way down mirroring the same path as before. He took the other nipple between his lips and once again let his tongue run along the tip and then caress the edges where the areola met her skin.

He held her hips tighter and she felt a small pain in her side masked beneath pleasure of his ministrations, barely noticeable, as she moved to see what she surely thought was his nails pressing into her skin, his ran up her thigh as he ran the pad of his thumb dangerously close to her opening causing her hips to buck and back to arch.

She reached for his shoulders with both hands but only one made it there. The other lay limp at her side, confused she tried to sit up to tell him to stop so they could figure out what was wrong but the muscles in her stomach wouldn't contract to pull her up, she felt her hand slide down his shoulder unable to keep it grip on him. She looked to him panic on her face as he moved again to the bottom edge of the bed disappearing through the door.

"Help me!" she called after him panic evident "Come back, I can't move! Please, where did you go?"

He reappeared at the door calm, collected and completely devoid of emotion.

"Help me" she rasped as her vocal cords relaxed beyond use.

He held a roll of something in his hand as he climbed back on to the bed straddling her. He propped her head up on a pillow giving her an unobstructed view of her own body, he ran his hands down her sides letting her feel his touch as her heart raced no longer in lust but fear as she felt the warmth of his hands but could not shy away from them. He put his face back to the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply, scenting her fear, tasting it almost like candy on his tongue , it made his adrenaline pump and the blood in his body travel south. He took the roll and undid the clasp letting it unravel across her hips to reveal a set of needles and instruments, more than half blades, all tucked into their individual half sleeves, one of the needles was missing. She saw his tools glimmer in the light of her room and the tears came faster rolling down the sides of her face, down past her temples into her hair.

He saw the tears that had begun to fall and caressed her cheek,"Aww beb, don't cry. We've got a long night ahead of us."

He looked thoughtfully at the instruments and picked up a simple scalpel, he hunched over to begin his work pressing the blade to her skin watching the blood well up between the edges of the broken skin. The pain lanced through her but no sound came from her lips, her screams were trapped in her throat.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I don't own Fringe or Bones, this is not a crossover fic but if I should re-categorize it let me know.**

Chapter 2

The call came in at 12:30 with an address and a warning to skip lunch. Broyles kept it vague, a female victim in Waban found dead under unusual circumstances. That was the Fringe division's specialty, unusual and the impossible. Just when you thought you've seen everything then you find another crime scene that shows how much evil human beings are capable of. How science can be wielded as a weapon for both good and bad, it just depends on whose hands are behind the hilt.

She pulled the standard issue black SUV up to a small ordinary house on an ordinary street that was no longer ordinary. The uniforms and FBI personal moving to and fro across the lawn ruined the suburban landscape.

She dropped the Durango into park and cut the engine, she approached the yellow tape not looking for the Bishop's station wagon knowing they would be a little while. Walter wasn't the easiest person to get out of the house and not knowing what to expect at the scene would leave him unsure of what equipment to bring. Astrid would have her hands full trying to keep him from packing the whole lab into the ancient wagon.

As she came to the yellow tape she fished for her badge and flashed it at the officer keeping guard. He gave her a nod and lifted the tape.

"I'm surprised there's no spectators out." she said noting the lack of nosy neighbors.

"So were we, normally we'd need five or more of us just on crowd control but it seems like everyone's at work or out thankfully." he said.

"Have you seen the crime scene?" she asked

He looked down, avoiding eye contact, "Yes, and in all my years I've never been happier to be on crowd control." he said meeting her gaze, his eyes framed by lines she hadn't noticed before, hid amber orbs showing just a little to much white, it was something she recognized and knew didn't grace the officer's face often, it was fear. Fear of what he'd seen inside of that house, it was fear that kept most of the law enforcement outside on the lawn instead of looking for clues or leads. What could be so bad to scare so many of Boston's finest?

"What's in there that has everyone so spooked?"she asked.

He shook his head not giving up any answers, it would be something she'd have to discover on her own. She nodded and continued up to the front door.

"Agent!"

She turned around to face the officer a look of curiosity chasing across her face.

"Have you had lunch yet?"

She shook her head no.

"Be glad, some of us did." he said cryptically

Feeling more than a little unsettled she continued her approach to the front door. Once she stepped into the entryway she came across the living room that continued on into the kitchen separated by a short bar with enough seating for three. Enough room for Dad and his 2.5 children to wait while Mom cooked breakfast on a Saturday morning. Looking back at the living room she found a medium sized coffee table set in front of a couch that faced a fireplace highlighted by glass tiling. There were indentation on the rug where two people had gone through most of a bottle of wine. Their backs pressed against the couch as their legs had curled and uncurled switching positions to get comfortable before once again sinking into the thick soft pile.

She continued across the wood flooring of the living room, past the bar and kitchen counters, they were had the usual small appliances all color coordinated and stacked away neat as a pin. Just a lonely corkscrew was out of place on the small back counter between the range and the fridge. The sink was shining stainless steel like the rest of the major appliances and completely vacant of dishes. She turned down the hall and sighted Broyles in front of the third door on the right. He was conversing with another younger agent who looked wet behind the ears and a little green around the edges. She continued up the hall past the open door of the elegantly tiled bathroom sporting an old fashioned claw foot bathtub past the second closed door and to the third just in time to hear Broyles angrily dismiss the young agent with orders to go home. He brushed past Olivia without a second glance shaking so badly she wondered how he was even able to walk.

She looked inquisitively at Broyles whose anger was still evident by the set of his jaw and the tension running through the set of his shoulders.

"Agent Dunham, I see you've made it. Where are Walter and Peter?"

"On their way sir, Walter is a bit of a handful, I'm pretty sure Astrid is trying to keep him from bringing the lab with him."

"Well let's hope Agent Farnsworth can get him out here soon."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, what has everyone here so spooked?"

Broyles sighed, reluctant to scar her the way the younger agent he'd just sent home had been. He could keep her safe but she would resent him and believe that he didn't think she could handle it when even the Medical Examiner who'd seen hundreds of corpses had a hard time coping with what she found.

Broyles took a deep breath, "It's easier if I show you."

His hand hesitated on the doorknob "Brace yourself."

He pushed the door open and the first thing to hit her was the smell. It was like an outhouse in July, the human body after death often loses control of its bowels and renal system robbing the deceased of whatever dignity they had left in death. Her stomach lurched slightly but she pushed herself to approach the bed catching a glimpse of light brown hair stained red in places by blood. She circled around to the bottom of the bed fixing her gaze at the edge and working her way up starting a the woman's ankles working her way up her calves, the blood stains started just above her knees and the excrement mingled with the blood midway up her thighs. It wasn't until she hit higher up on the woman's thighs did she realize that the body was naked. Being some what conservative and really not wanting to look at another woman's reproductive organs Olivia flicked her gaze higher skimming past the body's hips but stumbling across the sudden change to red. Her brain tried to make her think she was looking at a blood soaked ruin of a shirt but her mind didn't believe it. Her stomach started to churn as her mind fought off her brain's protective instincts to make sense of what she was seeing. It took a few seconds but everything snapped into place, the last puzzle piece found it's place and completed the picture. Her stomach revolted as the rest of her body froze stiff. The red shirt was actually a red ruin of muscle, small amounts of fat and tendons The woman had been skinned from the waist up to her neck and half way down to her elbows. Olivia looked at the woman's face mouth open in a scream that no one could hear. Her eyes wide had tear tracks that ran with blood down her temples into her.

"It gets worse." Broyles said behind her after she had enough time to process what stood before her.

"How can it get any worse?" she said in a whisper, eyes glued to the body before her.

Broyles gave a heavy sigh tinged with reluctance but kept going, "Whoever did this wanted the victim see as well as feel what was happening to her. She was drugged with powerful paralytic that kept her conscious but let her feel everything that was happening to her. When she started passing out the assailant pumped her full of adrenaline to keep her conscious she apparently tried to close her eyes and he cut away her eyelids."

Olivia processed everything she'd heard her mind racing and simultaneously cracking at the edges. She ripped her gaze from the bare body on the bed and moved for the door. Broyles let her go understanding the shock that was setting in. Once she made it past the door frame she broke into a sprint unable to make it down the hall fast enough. She hit the open space of the kitchen turning hard and fast colliding with someone who caught her by the shoulders absorbing the impact. She looked up to find Peter staring down at her concern leaking into his face.

He saw confusion and puzzlement flit across her face and then something he thought he'd never see in this woman's face, pure naked fear.

He pulled her close and she collapsed against him shaking, the only bright side being that she had skipped lunch.

**A/N I told you this was Fringe fic, none of the characters from Bone actually play a major role in this fic but again if it should be re-categorized let me know and I will. Please review and let me know if to carry on with this fic.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I do not own Fringe or Bones, this is the only appearance of any of the Bones characters for this story. This chapter contains no gore but alot of science stuff at the end, I'm an engineering student and I couldn't just throw figures out without doing research so if it gets dull I apologize. There is no gore or anything as graphic as last chapter, I will start leaving warnings for chapters that do. Hope you enjoy =]**

Chapter 3

For Broyles the numbing had started behind his eyes spreading down his spine until it cloaked him like a shield. He knew the feeling, it wasn't the first time he'd felt it trickle down his back, so he let it run its course so he could continue to do his work. Each time he'd let the cloak wrap itself in and around him a little pull in the back of his mind would scream for him to fight it, the numbness would fill him and keep him safe but at a cost. It would eventually recede, leaving a piece of itself to congeal and harden each time, like a cold as stone cancer collecting in his chest that ate away at his humanity.

For Olivia it started in her chest under her sternum slowing her heart and returning her breathing to normal. It spread through her torso calming her stomach, flowing down to her toes returning strength to her knees and out to her fingertips returning her steady hands. It could do nothing for her voice though, it still being a deep soft speech that escaped her lips.

When Peter faced the room, all human feelings were packed in a box and shoved into a dark corner. Everything becoming facts and calculations, his eyes darkened and became hard as everything was efficiently processed, categorized, filed and stored.

Walter walked in blissfully ignorant, the horror of the scene unable to penetrate the cluttered maze that was his mind.

Broyles kept Astrid from the scene deeming that she would be of more use in the lab, it was a paper-thin excuse to keep her from the gruesome scene. The blow could be lessened if she were told about the night's events along with the photographs from evidence put together like a twisted children's picture book from hell. She was to young to be exposed to this so it was the least he could do.

After a few minutes of them watching Walter assess the murder's handiwork Olivia moved to Broyles

"Sir, what exactly are we doing here? Shouldn't this be up homicide's alley?"

"It was, we flew a team up from DC early this morning. Agent Booth and his partner Dr. Brennan, but then Dr. Brennan came across these," he pointed to a brass door knob with indentations on it," we let her determine that the marks were made by a human hand and provide us with an idea of the suspects size then sent them home. Very few people, even within the FBI know what our department deals with and the less the better."

Olivia, Peter and Walter approached the door knob to find blackened indentations in the brass, one of the indentations had the black substance removed to reveal a full fingerprint impressed on thebrass.

"Impressive." coming from Walter, "I'll need the body and the door knob, oh and any others that may have the marks plus another for comparison!"

A few hours later Olivia entered the lab, she had left the scene after CSU swept the house for hair and fibers coming up with a few things that would take time to process including the fingerprints off the door. Interviews came up with a dead end. Her sister who found her that morning, after getting though the shock and hysterics, said that she hadn't talked to Jessica Cornwallace in about two weeks as she was always busy with her family and Jessica was always busy with her interior design firm. Neighbors couldn't provide much on her either as they rarely saw her around. They had someone tracking down her co-workers, once they were all found more interviews would begin in hopes of finding something relevant.

"Olivia," Peter called her out of her thoughts, "I looked over the anthropologist's report, and after a little deciphering and some help from an anatomical dictionary I was able to figure out what the good doctor was able to give us."

"Anything useful? Broyles said she was able to give us a description of the killer."

"Well, sort of, according to her report we're looking for a male, between 5'11" and 6'2" most likely of either Caucasian or of African decent, what's really useful though," he flipped forward a few pages

and began to read,"Subject's fingerprints are unique, they appear to have double whorl pattern reducing subject pool to about five percent of the population."

"She got all of that off of a door knob?"

"She is the best in her field, and the go to authority on forensic anthropology."

"Does that make her attractive to you?"

"Huh?" Peter stammered out obviously blindsided by the question to the delight of his partner.

"It's a simple question Bishop, does that make her attractive to you?"

Olivia would never admit it but she loved to see her normally unphaseable partner squirm and apparently this was one button that did just that.

"Well uh, intelligence is always good I guess. In a woman." he managed to get out,

"but if her personality is anything like her report, she's more logical than most supercomputers and probably has just about as many emotions as one too."

"You got all that out of a report?"

"No actually, I called her to do some medical terminology translation for me. She's great to argue with but she's no you."

Now it was Olivia's turn to squirm, not that he would know," How so?"

"She's completely unable to trust her gut, something you _can_ do and that has saved my life more than once. Everything she believes has to have some scientific backing to it and has to fit within the laws of science. We deal with the realm of the impossible, much more fun." he said with a note of sarcasm

"So what's making our case impossible enough to fall on Fringe division's desk?" she inquired

"Well it seems that those indentations couldn't be made by any normal human being. The doorknob was made of red brass which has a yield strength of 395 mega Pascal's which according to Dr. Brennan if replicated by the human body it would rip tendons off bone. Also the black stuff in the indentations was mostly carbon."

"What does that tell us?"

"That the brass may have been heated to a temperature high enough to make it soft, allowing someone to leave indentations like in a ball of clay." Walter interjected.

"But Walter isn't the melting point of brass over 1000 degrees?" Astrid asked

"Yes, but it would take less to soften it and it takes about 2000 degrees to cremate a human body" Peter supplied.

"Ok, so where does that get us?"Olivia asked

"Apparently we have a black or white six foot male who can raise his body temperature to 1000 degrees and has a thing for torture." Peter said sarcastically.

"Which isn't exactly impossible." Walter

Everyone turned to stare at Walter.

"Walter what do you mean?"Astrid asked.

"Well, Belly and I worked on something for the army. Fire rats, they were supposed to infiltrate enemy lines and essentially combust setting fire to whatever happened to be close by."

"That would wreak havoc on a base, especially in an armory." Olivia realized.

"Stop them from using weapons on us by setting them off and destroying a base all at once." Peter concluded.

"Well yes, but it didn't work out that way, the rats couldn't be controlled or trained long enough to get them to actually make it to their target so while it was a success it was abandoned." Walter informed them.

"But Walter, why the skin? Why would he take this girls skin and nothing else?" Olivia pressed

"Well I imagine that the heat is generated through the muscles, but the constant heat being applied to skin both inside and out would cause it to dry out and shrink, eventually tearing much like a snake skin but there would be nothing under it as humans do not shed like snakes and would not be able to regenerate new skin at that temperature." Walter answered

"Ok, but wouldn't a male need a male skin to fit into?" Olivia asked

"Not necessarily, if the skin is being used as a patchwork quilt it wouldn't really matter. Also women have an extra layer of fatty tissue under their skin to help them sustain pregnancy in times of famine but it would also make the skin easier to remove in large sections without damaging it. " this coming from Peter

"Which is exactly what the killer did." Astrid added

"Okay, so we are looking for a black or white 6 foot male who can raise his temperature to over 1000 degrees and has a thing for torture." Olivia finalized, "I'll get the prints back to the FBI see if we find a match."

**A/N Again sorry if the science stuff gets boring or confusing, if it is let me know I will refrain from putting to much in. Chapter 4 is in the works but I've got 3 exams next week then spring break so I can't promise anything until *checks calendar* the 17th-18th =/. I mostly write on weekends when work gets slow and I've been sitting on these chapters for a little while so if updates slow down I apologize, I will try to work as fast as possible**. **Thank you for reading and let me know what you think =]**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N So guess who hasn't been studying _ ... I do not own Fringe or it characters. This chapter gets a little graphic not as bad as chapter 2 but is rated M for sexual content, hope you enjoy, and let me know how I'm doing.**

Chapter 4

He picks up his prize, his trophy, his accomplishment for the night. She will be pleased, it's soft and smooth and almost the right size. She'll only need a few lines of stitches, nothing as bad as what she's had in the past. With a few alterations he will be able to get the perfect fit; he's become quite the tailor in the past few years, her measurements committed to memory. He doesn't even have to measure anymore; he knows every plane and every curve of her body making it easy for him to find others who make a good match.

He places the skin in a solution to mimic vascularization and prevent decay so that he can begin his work. The faster he can get it on her the longer it will last and the faster he will get to be with her. The dimly lit room is larger than it first appears; they have been working on it for years. They compiled the equipment they needed over time doing hours of research for each piece making sure it could collapse and move at a moment's notice and yet still do the job it was meant to. More research was put into surgical techniques; he went from being a gruesome butcher to a careful artist after years of practice. Ever since the first time she slipped her skin, they knew they would have to make arrangements to keep her alive and they were forced to move quickly. He almost lost her that first time, he was proficient at removing the skin even back then, but he had never had to reattach it.

If anyone else knew, they would find it ironic; the one thing that got him locked up and then made him a candidate for experimentation was what led him to find the love of his life and what kept her alive. She was in the first rounds of testing, before they had worked out all the kinks.

He laughed harshly to himself; they called what felt like setting your nerves on fire a kink.

He didn't arrive until about the fourth round of testing, they had almost perfected it by then. All the problems worked out, it was just to see if it could be harnessed as a weapon. They were given solid blocks of metal and told to find what was inside. They found that they could dip their hands into the blocks like they were buckets of paint and come away with the object.

This came at a price though; some couldn't control the ability and would reduce themselves to ash or cook themselves from the inside out. Some wouldn't hurt themselves but melted almost anything that touched their skin, leaving themselves naked in a stone cell unable to reach out to another human being for help. He was one of those, but then he met her, she had been the only one of the first round of testing to master her abilities, one of the kinder scientists allowed her to help him after seeing how he looked at her. She was one of the only subjects who could touch him and come away unscathed. She helped him learn how to control it, how to stop the burning in his nerves and keep clothes on his back. He cherished the time he got with her, she saved him from dying in that stone cell and in return he would do anything for her.

They did what psychologists thought was impossible; two sociopathic killers on death row fell in love. The same kindly scientist had brought the budding relationship to the attention of the rest of team working on the project, the scientists felt that the relationship could not continue as two serial killers working together would be too dangerous. The group decided to allow the relationship to grow so that they could observe the ability's response to strong emotions, once the data was collected they would then exterminate the lethal couple.

They were observed together for days to find the response to love and joy, then separated for days to find the response to sadness and despair and set up for the response to jealousy. The scientists understood that the results would be skewed as the couple didn't experience emotions like the rest of the population but when they collected enough data to satisfy the psychologists they were left with one more test.

He was injected with something and then put into a room with nothing more than a bed and a loveseat; there was a door that led to a bathroom with a tub. The whole room was constructed in ceramic and stone. One of the scientists had a connection that allowed him to get sheets and a cover for the couch and mattress made of Nomex. They weren't sure what to expect so the room was setup with vents to force carbon dioxide into to the room smothering any wild fires that may occur at the cost of suffocating their two subjects.

He had heard the door close behind him, it caused him to spin around ready to fight but instead he found her. She told him about the scientist who let her help him was also a hopeless romantic and arranged for them to have a secret night together. The only catch being they would have to part ways early in the morning before the shift change.

Little did they know, the whole team was watching and monitoring the small room for this last test. They were both injected with a small implant that allowed them to monitor everything from heart rate to brainwaves. They needed to know how the ability would react in that one moment where the human mind and body lost control.

They knew they only had hours but they were going to make the most of it. He remembered every detail of that night, pulling every sound, color and texture like a live replay starting up in his head.

He had pulled her close and sighed at the feeling of finally having her in his arms, having her to himself, having what was his. She had run her hands up his sides to his chest, working her way up to his hair to pull him into a kiss that held weeks of longing and waiting. He dropped his hand to her hips to sneak them under her shirt one fanned out at her back the other slid up her side so that his thumb could trace the edge of her breast. The contact had made her pull away from the kiss and gasp, it had been a long time since either of them had been that close to another human being. She had stepped back from him earning a confused look from him but her lifting off her shirt and then his washed the look off his face turning his eyes dark and letting a wicked smile play at the edges of her lips. She took over, walking him against the cool walls as both their temperatures began to climb. She put her hands to his chest running a thumb over his nipple as her lips and teeth found the spot between his neck and clavicle. She let her teeth and tongue work to make his breathing labored careful not to leave any evidence of their time together. His hands eased their death grip on her hips and wove into her hair to pull her away, so that he could crush his lips to hers before she could catch her breath. Her arms trailed down his sides one resting at his hips the other getting into mischief as it traced teasing lines along the tops of his pants. His grip on her hair tighter pulling her head away from their kiss and exposing her neck he repeated her earlier moves on her neck while his free hand pinched and rolled her nipple causing it to harden and her nails to sink into his back. They were a small hurt that blurred the lines of pleasure and pain for him. When she'd had enough her released her gasping for breath, he bent enough to grasp her thighs and hoist her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist, he pressed her bare back against the rough stone cooling her back and scratching her skin as her lines blurring as well. He brought his mouth to her nipple and ran his tongue in slow circles along her areole working his way toward the center. He bit down gently letting the edge of his teeth graze the tip. She writhed for him, grinding her hips against his erection. Not able to wait much longer her carried her until his knees hit the bed and laid her down, her legs still wrapped around his waist she reached for the draw string of his pants, undoing the messy bow, she placed her hands at his hips and pressed her thumbs into the indentations above his pelvis making small teasing circles that made his eyes close and his head fall back. Giving him a few seconds to recover she slid his pants and underwear down his legs letting her cheek slide down his thigh as she pushed them down his calves. He stepped out of the pool of cloth at his feet and placed his hands on her shoulders pushing her back to lie on the bed. He reached for her somewhat neater bow, untying it with a quick tug. He hooked his thumbs in the elastic and began to slide her clothing off as she lifted her hips to help the garments decent to the floor. He climbed up on the bed and sat up against the pillows while she stayed lying down letting her eyes wander down his body, getting tired of waiting he hooked his hands under her arms and dragged her back to lean against him both relishing the full body contact. He wrapped his arm around her just below her breasts and hooked his feet around her ankles to spread her legs just enough. Before she could comprehend what he was doing he plunged two fingers into her center pulling another gasp from her lips and causing her back to arch. His thumb found her clit and began to run circles around it that made her writhe and buck against his hold, pulling small mewling sounds from her. She had gripped his arm, his thigh, any piece of flesh that she could put her hands on and would yield beneath the pressure of her nails. He felt her body begin to tighten and tension fill her body making her rigid, the nails she had sunk into his skin were painfully close to bleeding him.

He felt her go still and he worked the hand between her legs faster knowing she was close, her body shuddered as her walls clamped down on him and a sound that lost itself between a sigh and a moan escaped her parted lips. He laid her slightly limp and recovering body down next to him and knelt between her knees, hands on her hips, thumbs tracing where her pelvis pushed against her skin. The scientists monitoring them moved frantically to collect data, her temperature cooling as her heart rate began to slow. Meanwhile he had other ideas, he moved over her as her eyes began to focus pressing the tip of himself at her opening, silently asking. She looked up at him giving a quick nod as her hands snaked down to guide him. He pressed into her wet heat working himself into her inch by inch as her back bowed and she clawed at the sheets.

His jaw slackened and his eyes shut as his body took in the warmth that encased him. They were both gasping for breath by the time she was at the hilt of him. He kissed her gently and began to move, their bodies moved in the rhythm of a dance as old as time. A little too slowly for her apparently, she pressed her hips into him urging him faster and he obliged pushing her to the edge once more, her body becoming rigid, her walls tightening around him taking him screaming over the edge with her. He fell next to her both of them spent, the scientists in the other room were flooded with information, they hadn't set the room ablaze but their temperatures pushed the limits of the stone and ceramic. Unbeknownst to the couple falling into a deep sleep, the walls glowed red from the heat generated by their late night tryst. The scientists knew the results before they even looked at the data, the ability couldn't be controlled and they were out of time. The project would be terminated along with its subjects.

She would be taken from him and overdosed with the compound in hopes that her body would go to ash but she was to strong. The scientist who helped them left his cell unlocked and told him where to find her. Together they burned the place to the ground sparing the life of the scientist, he helped rescue her when her skin burst from the heat it could no longer contain. Together he and the scientist found a donor and stripped her of her skim. The scientist helped him patch his love together, taught him how to fix her next time because this wouldn't be the last. Once the couple was settled and the he could stand the nightmares of what he had done no more, the scientist made one last request, to have his ashes scattered upon the clearest bluest waters the couple could find he no longer could stand his existence.

A timer went off and jolted him from his thoughts, it was time to get to work, she was on the chill table waiting, the ceramic tools were out along with the Nomex thread all waiting for the Tailor. He looked up to an urn, a promise unfulfilled. He picked up the skin from the tub and walked into the other room where his love wait in a sedated sleep while her body repaired. He looked back to the urn, they worked their way west, it would be just a matter of time before they would go south and lay a tortured soul to rest.

**A/N Chapter 5 is in the works, I work with my cool boss this weekend so hopefully I finish it then. Again let me know what you think, I won't know if this story is going off the deep end if no one tells me. _**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know I took forever to post this there's alot going on but to make it up to you Chapter 6 is finished and will be posted to day or tomorrow as soon as I'm done editing it. Again sorry =/**

**To Averiada again I'm sorry I used Brennan in chapter 2 and 3 as a passing reference I won't be bringing them into the story past that.**

To wjobsessed while writing the fist half of this chapter I kept thinking you'd love it and I hope you do.

**To everyone else I'm sorry for being so late please enjoy and review =]  
**

Chapter 5  
Olivia moved down the corridor at a run, gun drawn her heart pounding through her chest. It had been a game of cat and mouse, a flash of pale skin past a doorframe, a glimpse of brown hair and jeans around a corner. All she could gather was that it was a male about six feet, medium build with brown hair. He was following her and she was following him both trying to get the drop on the other neither of them quick enough. She kept looking, rounding a corner only to catch a glimpse of denim. She gathered herself tired of it all and ran after him down the dark hallway. Following all the twists and turns of the building trying to memorize her way out as doors and turns flew past; she came to a dead end. Looking around and not finding anywhere to hide she held her gun out waiting. She turned to see a figure approaching her in the dark.

"FBI freeze!" she yelled to the figure but he didn't even falter.

"I am a federal agent, stay where you are, I will shoot." she called to the still moving man.

He began reached for something at his waist; Olivia raised her gun and steadied herself to take the shot.

"Stop moving and put your hands where I can see them. I will not hesitate to shoot.", she tried one last time to save his life but he didn't stop. He started closing the distance between them his hand at his belt line under his jacket. Olivia made the decision it would be her life over his. She let her training take over, her body shifted into place, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, back straight, gun cradled in her palm trigger finger loose. She sighted down the barrel and fired following through as the shot made perfect contact into the chest and through the heart. His body rocked with the impact and his legs gave way leaving him to drop to his knees. Olivia kept the gun sighted at him stepping closer and her hands beginning to shake as the realization faded and the horror like ice water filled its place. She came to find confused smoky blue eyes under brows knit in pain looking back at her, the lights beginning to fade.

"Liv, why?" he gasped "I loved you."

Olivia's gun clattered to the floor and she dropped beside him clutching him.

"Peter NO!" she grasped him laying his body not the floor pressing down uselessly on his wounds, his hearts blood hot and dark almost black on her hands. The shot was perfect she knew it, she was going to lose him.

"Peter no, why didn't you stop. Why didn't you stop when I told you. Oh God Peter no." she sobbed

"Liv," he grasped her hand tightly, "I loved you. Why?" he gasped out

"Why Liv?" he breathed out as the light in his eyes died and the blood flowing from his chest slowed and begun to cool and congeal.

Olivia lifted her arm Peter's hand falling away from hers leaving a thin silver chain coated in blood, at the end a simple silver band set with a single diamond. She looked down at Peter's lifeless body and broke. Sobs wracked her body as tears left glistening tracks down her face. She reached a hand out craving one last touch of the man who wanted to be her partner for life. Her fingertips grazed his cheek but the skin felt dry like parchment, she pulled her hand back to find blood mixed with dried skin. She looked back to Peter's cheek bloody and she watched as his skin beginning to dry up wrinkle and crack. She stood abruptly backing away from him, then the skin began to split and she started to scream.

"Liv wake up ... LIV! Wake Up! ... LIV! ... OLIVIA!"

Olivia gasped and her eyes snapped open to find the same dark smoky blue eyes looking down at her and the dream washed back over her. She scrambled up backing away until her back hit the headboard.

"No, no" cracked sounds slipping from her mouth. She gathered her limbs upon herself as she willed her heart to slow and each breath to even out. She looked at the figure sitting on her bed, the same one she felt bleed out beneath her hands, the one who told her he loved her with his dying breath.

He knew not to touch her, not yet, she would come to him when she was ready, and maybe she would tell him what made her wake up screaming, but for now he would wait. The minutes ticked by in silenced while Olivia packed up the unshed tears into an already overfilled box, its seams threatening to break any minute, she finally trusted her voice not to crack.

"Peter, what are you doing here?"

"I called about a half hour ago but you didn't answer, I got worried." he said sheepishly

"But how did you get in?" she questioned further

"I picked the lock." he said ducking his head half expecting a smack, he was going to knock but then he heard the screams.  
His heart had dropped to the floor, the thoughts that flew through his mind scared  
him, the most predominant being if he lost her. He prided himself on being independent but ever since Olivia dragged him from the Middle East he hadn't found a reason good enough to leave her side.

"Knocking didn't occur to you?" she asked

"It did, but then I heard the screaming." he said needing no further explanation.

Olivia made her request with no words just small movements and touches. She pushed off the headboard toward the end of the bed where he sat still in his jacket and shoes, far to dressed for bed. She reached for the buttons of his coat undoing the one at a time as Peter looked on curiously. She eased the dark blue material off his shoulders allowing him to shrug it off and abandon it on the sheets. Her eyes glanced at his feet that still wore his shoes and then back at him, he got the idea and kicked them off socks as well. She tugged him back toward the headboard as she got under the sheets, he paused and unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a black ribbed guinea tee before he slipped between the cooled covers. She tugged his hand asking without words, he slipped his arm around her waist pressing her back to his front willing his body not to betray him. Her mind was set at ease to find him alive and real behind her as he tucked her head under his, his had calmed as her fingers intertwined with his, the thought of losing her had been postponed for a while longer but it would be back. It would eat at him like cold fire in his chest the next time she stepped into the line of fire. Their hearts raced at the first contact as their bodies prepared for something more. Individually they came to the same thoughts, it felt right being here, together, comfortable with sinking into the touch of the other and losing themselves there. They kept these thoughts to themselves, tucked away on a shelf to dwell on later.  
As Olivia began to doze Peter shifted to leave soft words in her ear."You will not dream tonight, you're safe with me." was all he said as she slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Olivia awoke to sunlight filtering through her curtains and her head on something soft but not soft enough to be her pillow. She knew this because pillows don't snore, nor do they wear black tanks, or have arms that wrap around your body possessively nor do they have hands that brushed dangerously close to your cleavage. Her head was on his chest, her left arm numb from being slept on the other thrown across his torso her fingers interlocked with his, everything below the waist was a tangle of limbs and sheets she would now have to try and extricate herself from without waking her partner.  
'Well this is something they don't teach you at Quantico.' she thought to herself.  
She began to undo the knots their bodies had tied them into, she had a date with her coffeemaker to make, though a sleeping Peter had other ideas. She got her legs out of the sheets and managed to wake her arm up but when she tried to unlace her right hand from his left his right arm tightened around her waist pushing her off balance, she fell awkwardly to his other side his body rolled with her putting them on their sides and their faces a hairs breadth apart, his eyes opened unfocused and lost in sleep. Olivia to shocked by her predicament stayed frozen in place when he moved to close the distance between them. His lips brushed against hers before applying more pressure and tightening his grip on her hips bringing her body flush against his making her painfully aware of his morning erection that just so happened to be pressing into her thigh. He pulled away from the kiss, his blue eyes boring in to her green ones before his lids fluttered closed, his body rolled so his shoulders pressed against the sheets his body sinking back into the bed a few seconds passed and his soft snoring resumed. Olivia stayed completely still for a few minutes blinking as her brain tried to catch up and comprehend what just happened. She got off the bed now free of Peter's longer limbs and found herself at the coffeemaker, not entirely sure how she got there.

Going through the motions but not really there she made coffee and poured herself a cup not waiting long enough she brought the brownish black liquid to her mouth burning herself. She brought her fingertips to brush her lips as the thoughts from last night managed to slip off their shelf calling for her attention, her dream from last night still clawing at the back of her mind, his body heat still warmed her skin and his scent clung to her. She started to melt at the edges as all the pieces tumbled in her head looking for its rightful place to tell her what she already knew.

"Is any of that for me?" Peter asked

Olivia spun around, jolted from her thoughts.

"Uh, ... yea." she said as she fumbled for a mug.

She poured him a cup pulling out the half and half from the fridge, covertly checking the expiration date. She sat watching him sipping from his mug clueless to what he'd done 30 minutes earlier. Looking to her own cup his voice brought her attention back to him.

"Are you ok?, from last night I mean?"

"Yea I'm alright, thank you for last night, for breaking into my apartment and what you said."

"Anytime sweetheart," his curiosity got the better of him, even with the risk of her clamming up he pushed forward, "last night when I woke you up, you looked at me like you saw a ghost. Why?"

She looked back at her coffee, looking for an answer in the murky depths, "You startled me, that's all."

"Liv, we've known each other for a while now, I know when you're startled, and last night you weren't startled" he pushed.

A few seconds ticked by but he didn't back down, she at least owed him some kind of answer for pulling her out of it last night.

"I shot him." she said willing herself to look at him

"Who? Your step-father?" he asked starting to close the distance between them, "You didn't have a choi-"

"Not him Peter, you, I shot you last night, I watched you die in front of me."

He walked over to her and took her coffee cup from her hands and pulled her close, "Liv I'm here that's all that counts. Besides what do you think was going through my head when I was standing outside your door?"

She got the message, she also found herself in her partners arms for the third time this week partaking in very unpartnerlike behavior. This couldn't go over well with Broyles. Then her phone went off, 'Speak of the devil.' she thought. She pulled herself away from Peter and went for her phone.

"Dunham." she spoke automatically.

"Dunham, the victims employees are being gathered at her office in two hours, I need you and Peter there to assist and see what you can find."

"Yes sir." she replied, she took down the address and office number.

"I'll let you get ready and contact the Bishop's." Broyles finalized.

"Uh, that won't be necessary sir." Olivia said

"And why is that?"Broyles questioned

"He's with me Sir." she winced to herself

"Alright, I'll see you both in two hours." he said smirking to himself glad the other agent couldn't see him.

After Broyles hung up she padded back to the kitchen to inform Peter of the day's itinerary.

"Broyles?" he asked

she nodded "We have to be at the victim's office in two hours for interviews." she told him

"Do you mind if I get ready here? I've taken to keeping a spare set of clothes with me since cases always seem to get messy."

"Sure, but what about Walter?"

"Astrid stayed with him last night, I just have to tell them to go to the lab without me."

"Ok, sounds like a plan."

"Alright, you go shower first, I'll go get my stuff."

She headed to the bathroom and he headed for the front door. He took his time getting down the stairs not wanting to rush Olivia, not that she'd take that long in the first place, she kept things pretty simple, ponytail, no makeup, sensible shoes, no flashy colors. There was beauty in simplicity and Olivia was living proof of that. He knew his always automatically glued to her whenever she entered a room and tracked her when she moved about, he was surprised she never caught him. Then again she is an FBI agent, she may have noticed but never commented on it, that or she never expected it and so never bothered to look for it. For a brief second he hoped it wasn't the last option, the second he could deal with, if she wasn't interested he would be ok, as long as he could always have her back. He unlocked the car door and grabbed the small duffel bag of clothes and essentials now cold from the night's chilly temperatures. He trotted back upstairs bag in tow, he started thinking about last night his dreams had taken to teasing him with images of her. He'd dreamt of kissing her, having her body pressed flush against his, the warmth of her skin mingling with his, he could have sworn he woke with the taste of her on his lips but he had found the bed empty and the sheets gone cold. At least he knew how it felt to have her wrapped up in his arms safe and sleeping soundly for once. If she wasn't interested, maybe he wouldn't be okay.

Olivia let the water run hot and got in letting the water beat against her skin causing it to flush, almost as if her skin could pool the heat under it and hold it. She went through the motions quickly, soap, shampoo, conditioner, rinse. She turned off the taps and moved the curtain aside, as the steam parted its misty veil she realized she didn't have a towel. She'd left her bathrobe in the room yesterday and forgot to bring it back to the bathroom. It wasn't a big deal, she could just run to her room and grab it, and she'd just be a bit cold and just try not to slip on the floor. Olivia hovered in the warmth of the steam for a moment more before reaching for the doorknob.

Peter made it back to the apartment and dumped his duffel bag on the couch, unzipping it and trying to remember what he had packed in there a few weeks ago. Socks, toothbrush, boxers, all purpose blue jeans, shirt, bar of soap, tank, belt, razor, toothpaste, floss? whatever. He had everything but a towel, he thought about asking Olivia but the shower was still running, it was probably the only moment of peace she ever got and he wasn't about to go take that from her. He looked in the linen closet but only found sheets and there wasn't anywhere else to keep them, unless ...  
Peter headed back to the bedroom hearing the sound of running water seeping thru the thin bathroom door as he passed. He knew she had an oversized closet and not enough clothes to fill it, she just didn't shop much, or ever for that matter, maybe she took advantage of the extra space. He opened the closet door and came across a row of military neat dress slacks, shirts and jackets all pressed and starched. 'Maybe the Marines leave a bigger impression that I thought' he silently said to himself. He spotted something pink out of the corner of his vision and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Nope, shoved at the very end of the row of clothing was a soft pink blouse made of a light filmy material. There was no way she bought that, Rachel must have gotten for her or snuck it in there. He smiled at the thought of the FBI agent wearing something so girly. He looked up on the top shelf where he found his prize, a couple neat stacks of towels next to a stack of neat sweaters. He grabbed a navy one from the top of the stack and turned in time to hear the door close and see a very wet, shivering and very naked Olivia Dunham standing before him. He was certain he'd be shot this time.

Olivia moved down the hallway as fast as she could without slipping on the smooth wood floors, shivering all the way to her door. She closed the door and scanned the room her eyes stopping on a very shocked and slightly worried looking Peter holding a towel. Olivia became very aware of her nakedness and snatched up a corner of her bed sheet to cover herself up.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked exasperatedly

Her slightly panicked words knocked Peter out of his shock induced stupor, lending him enough sense to turn around. He remembered the towel as he fumbled for an answer.  
"There weren't any towels in the linen closet." he said as he silently hoped her gun wasn't within reach.

He heard the bed sheet fall and her footfalls almost silent on the carpet moved around the bed closer to Peter's back, there was a pull on the towel and he released his hold on it. The terry cloth whispered as she unraveled it and wrapped around her drying and warming her skin.

"So why did you look here?" she asked now more curious than embarrassed.

Trying his best not to be offensive he treaded carefully with his answer.

"There are three closets in your apartment, your linen closet didn't have any towels and I already know that the coat closets didn't either. The closet to your room on the other hand has enough room for two wardrobes and you being more practical than most women, wouldn't fill it with just clothes."

A touch on the shoulder let him know he could turn around. He was met with a now dry Agent Dunham wrapped in plain white bathrobe.

"Okay." was all she told him.

"Okay? You're not going to shoot me for breaking into your apartment and then seeing you naked?" he teased.

Olivia went to the closet and plucked a dark green towel off the stack and pressed it to his chest.  
"I think I can let it slide this time." she teased back.

"Ooh not even a warning shot? Agent I think you're going soft on me?" he said with a smirk.

He had no idea," Go hit the shower before I really do go get my gun, Broyles is waiting on us and he'll shoot us both if we're late." smiling as she said it.

He took the towel, hands brushing hers, the small contact more intimate than a casual touch of skin. They individually shrugged it off as he headed for the bathroom towel in hand both small smiles on their faces that the other couldn't see.

What Olivia didn't know, thankfully, was that the image of her nude body was now burned into the back of Peter's mind and he was very glad for the restriction of jeans, a cold shower was definitely in order.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Okay as promised here's Chapter 6, I'll probably start Chapter 7 tonight but no promises to when it will be posted, school is kicking in again and it will eat up my time but I will try to get it out as soon as possible. Let me know what you think, I don't want this story to go off track.**

Chapter 6

There we're only half a dozen or so employees but the interviews still took hours. Jessica Cornwallace's design firm was small but successful, her long client list kept everyone busy and looking for more help. Her employees gave the same description of her, shy but determined, kind and understanding and completely devoted to her business and employees. They all loved her and enjoyed working for her, none of them had motive, they all had alibis for the night before and they all checked out.  
Olivia was at the victim's desk flipping through her packed calendar, it was filled with appointments, meetings and project milestones that she would never meet. Her appointment book alone made Olivia look like she actually had time for a life. Her desk was filled with business contacts, swatches, samples, design books and pads among other colorful things but no pictures save one of her and her sister. No significant other, not that she had time, even Olivia couldn't make time to find a date, let alone go on one. Rachel would always push her to find someone to be with, 'someone to put a little light in her life' her intruding sister would always say. Speaking of sister, she should be back tonight. Peter walked into the color strewn office bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Find any clues Sherlock?" he asked

"Unfortunately not, but I did find something that could lead us somewhere, it seems the only person in her life was her sister." She indicated this by holding up the picture of the pair. "but when we were in her home there was evidence of two people. It's strange because I haven't found anything here to suggest that she was dating anyone, or that she had friends outside of work. It couldn't have been her sister either, she checks out."

"So you think the person she was with that night and our six foot male  
might be the same person?" he asked.

At the same time Olivia's phone vibrated with a text, the CSU finished processing the scene and they had something for her.

"I'm not sure, but I think CSU may have an answer for us, come on Watson the game's afoot."

"Watson? I'm your sidekick now?"

"Be glad I'm not making you wear tights and calling you Robin." she teased

"Now you're just being cruel." he said as he followed her out the door.

They went through the glass doors of the CSU department, but not before flashing their credentials about a half a dozen times and being asked about validity of an FBI consultant about another three times. They were greeted by a young, tall, thin but decently built, brown tech named Mat who showed a little too much interest in the obviously older Olivia. This didn't make Peter happy, especially when he started to flirt with her.

"We found something that we think might help you out, it's not much but hopefully it'll pan out to a lead. If you'll come with me milady." the brown man offered his arm politely to Olivia which left her a little confused.

"Mom, taught us to be respectful to women and treat them like the ladies that they are, especially those that carry a gun and are tough as nails." he said with a shy smile that illicited one from Olivia who secretly thought the tech, while at the bottom of her age range was cute. She took his arm, albeit awkwardly with the height difference and he led her to the lab, a quiet, not to happy Peter trailing behind them.

"We checked the glasses and the bottle but only the victim's glass had prints, everything else was wiped. We were able to get partial prints off the body, granted acquiring it from Dr. Bishop was a bit of a task." he said with a wrinkled brow.

"Did you happen to come across anything useful, something other than my father being a difficult scientist?" Peter asked grumpily.

"Actually yes," he held up a plastic evidence bag that held a crumpled napkin, "it looked like she met someone and they traded numbers, we tried tracking it down but it was a one of those prepaid burner phones you can buy at a convenience store. We worked with the company who makes the phones to see if they could tell us where the phone was sold, we got the address and we'll give it to you on the way out. The napkin was actually from a coffee shop not to far from the convenience store, we've got that address as well. Also even though the glass was wiped clean it was slightly warped so we sent it out a university with better equipment, they came back with something surprising. The glass had an imprint on it, apparently it was a fingerprint and we were able to get a better lift from it than the doorknobs. We ran it through local and statewide but got nothing, to go further we need you guys to bump it. I can send you the file to run on your own as well if you have any other channels that may pan out."

"Thank you Mat, is there anything else?" Olivia asked memorizing his name for later use. Knowing a tech can help you get evidence processed quickly or tests pushed up the line which is useful when you're pressed for time.

"That's all I've got for you, but," he stole a quick glance at Peter who thankfully wasn't paying attention, ",would you ever grab coffee with me?" he asked a little hushed, hoping the consultant didn't hear him.

Olivia smiled, and nodded her head, he was younger but it would keep Rachel off her back and she would make a good friend in CSU.

"What's your number?" she asked making no motion to reach for a phone or a pen. May looked worried for a second but then a realization dawned on him.

"You're the agent with the kick ass memory! I heard about you from some of the field techs but they never said you were gorgeous." the words tumbled from his mouth and his brown cheeks reddened a bit. Olivia's smile cracked a little wider at the tech's embarrassment, it was cute.

"Ahem," Peter cleared his throat from his place at the door this caused the tech's cheeks to redden more now that he knew her partner heard him.

"Agent Dunham, I believe we have to go." Peter said in a formal irritated voice. Olivia knew for a fact that Peter using her title wasn't a good thing, he wouldn't say anything to her but she'd have some explaining to do in the car.

"Tell me your number and I'll call you tonight." she told the tech, he in return gave her his number. He led them back out the way they came stopping at the front desk to grab a file that he had Olivia sign for, she left her number for him and gave him a quick nod. He gave her a grin that made her smile back but it quickly died on her lips when her eyes met Peter's smoked blue ones.

As they made their way back to the car Peter's mind raced, he was angry but more worried. What did she see in that guy? He's a kid compared to her, is she nuts? When did she even start looking at men? What if she ended up with someone else? He couldn't do it, he'd fallen for her, hard to. He knew that if she ever ended up with someone else he couldn't be her partner knowing she would be going to bed with someone else.

"Peter are you getting in?" Olivia chased the fog of his thoughts. The door was unlocked and the engine was running, he didn't even notice the engine turn, how could he miss that? He couldn't zone out like that while he was looking after her. He got into the passengers seat buckling himself in, he'd been knocked around once when Olivia's behind the wheel training kicked in on a chase, he wore his seatbelt without fail after that.

Olivia headed back to the lab so she could send out the fingerprint file and bounce their findings off Astrid and Walter. Sometimes it was good to spread all of her information out and let fresh eyes take a look, it spurred new ideas and help her get a new angle on her case.

Unfortunately she had to deal with the problem in the passenger seat first, she didn't understand why he would get so angry at the thoughtof her getting coffee with someone. Unless ... no not possible, but there was what happened this morning, just the thought of his lips pressed to her stirred a heat beneath her skin that threatened to  
stain her face red. She didn't have time for this, she couldn't have Peter getting the wrong idea.

"Are you mad at me for agreeing to get coffee with the tech?" she finally asked.

Peter didn't expect her to bring up the topic at all, he knew she kept her personal life to herself so it wouldn't interfere with her work so he took a second to form an answer.

"It's not really any of my business who you date or go out with." he answered reluctantly,"What I feel about your actions shouldn't hold any weight when it comes to you making decisions, I am your partner not your husband, what you do is up to you." it was the only answer he could truthfully give without owning up to the fact that he was jealous, and he was right, he wasn't in any position to weigh in on her decisions, but that didn't change the pain in his chest.

Olivia took this in and got two things from it, on one hand she respected him more for saying that she was her own independent person even if they worked as a unit. On the other hand she was a little saddened by the fact that he thought he was only her partner.

"Peter you're not just my partner, you're a friend and maybe more than that." Peter's heart skipped a beat at that admission but he wouldn't make any inferences. "A partner doesn't break into your apartment because you didn't answer your phone, even some friends don't do that. Your opinion does hold weight to me, our decisions can affect each other and when we are working on a case we both need to be here not worrying about something one of us did." Olivia told him.

"So are you mad at me for agreeing to coffee with the tech?" she asked him know he sidestepped giving her a direct answer.

"I'm not mad at you," he wasn't lying, he really wasn't angry just jealous but he wasn't going to tell her that,"I just never pegged Olivia Dunham as a cougar." he said with a wicked smile.

Olivia glared at him for a second before looking back at the road.  
"I'm not actually interested in him."

"Is that so?" he asked curiously "Does the lady have ulterior motives?"

"You could say that, going out for coffee doesn't always mean you're going to be romantically involved, it could just be a start of a friendship." she defended.

"I think there's more to this little coffee date than you're letting on." he said giving her a playfully accusing look.

"It does pay to have friends in CSU, how many times have we been left sitting on our hands waiting on evidence to be processed?"

"I never thought I'd see the day." he chuckled

"What?" she asked halting at a red light she turned to look at him curiously, she was met with another wicked and teasing grin.

"The day that Olivia Dunham uses her womanly wiles to get what she needs." he teased.

"I got you back to Boston didn't I?" she teased back as she pulled in front of the lab and cut the engine.

"That wasn't using seduction, that was having a good poker face with an empty threat." he told her but he was glad she dragged him back even if it was by his balls, he still couldn't find a reason good enough to leave her.

"Just because I don't use my so called wiles doesn't mean I don't have them or know how to use them." she said slipping out if the car leaving a once again speechless Peter to catch up.

**A/N Please review =]  
Next chapter Rachel and Ella are back trying to get Olivia a boyfriend and the killer finds a new target.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I'm soooo sorry this took two months to do, I don't know how many times I lost parts of chapters and had to rewrite them =/ In my defense this update (Chap 7 and Chap 8) totals almost 20 pages. Hope you like it and please review=]  
A/N  
**

Chapter 7

"Could the fact that he bought the burner phone so close to the coffee shop mean that he chose her?" Astrid asked, "He could have seen her walk in and then gotten the phone, before he talked to her. Those phones don't take too long to set up and they're pretty simple to work with."

"It's possible, but we still need to know what he was looking for." Olivia said.

"He'd be looking for skin to replace his own, but any skin human would do, he must have a preference in melanin content." Walter supplied.

"There's one thing we're missing," Peter pointed out,"wouldn't someone who looked like Jack's Sally would stick out? We're assuming that he was able to get a date with this girl, it doesn't add up."

"He's right, even if he managed to match shades of skin it's never exact and it's difficult not to get noticed when you look like a patchwork quilt." Astrid concluded.

"We still have to check out the convenience store and coffee shop but it's a little late now." Olivia said looking down at her watch, Rachel and Ella would be back by now. "Let's wrap this up and we'll start with the stores in the morning." she finalized glancing at Peter who nodded.

He'd go with her to do the interview without needing to be asked.

"I promised Walter we'd make strawberry milkshakes and groom Gene before we went home tonight." Astrid said pointing a thumb to a large container of strawberries and a half gallon of ice-cream that had gained a sparkling layer if condensation.

"I can drive him and the wagon home when we're done." Astrid knew where Peter had gone last night and also knew he hadn't come home either.

She and Broyles were in cahoots but they kept it their little secret. They had started off by having periodical meetings to see how Astrid was faring as a junior agent under Walter. Eventually the meetings began lasting longer and longer and had often gone into overtime. They had started scheduling their meetings at the end of the day so they wouldn't have to be cut short as often. The two had grown close over time but kept their relationship to themselves, they both knew that being close could cause problems for Astrid later in her career. The FBI frowned upon interoffice relationships and would try to move her away from Broyles, breaking up the little family they had become. During one of the meetings the topic of Peter and Olivia came up, they couldn't figure out how the two of them hadn't at least slept together, the sexual tension between  
them was so thick it was suffocating.

From the beginning Olivia had a soft spot for Peter and she put an amount of trust in him that she normally wouldn't put in someone she just met. Peter had been watching Olivia's back since the first time he pulled her from the tank, the fact that she was the one with the gun never deterred him. It was something most people spend a lifetime looking for and those two had it but were to blind to see it.

"Astrid are you sure?" Olivia asked not wanting to burden her with Walter for another night.

"Trust me Olivia, it's fine, you two go get dinner and some rest. You don't know where tomorrow's going to take you and both of you don't sleep enough as it is." Astrid said in a mothering tone.

"Yes mom." Peter teased playfully.

Astrid smacked his shoulder pulling a chuckle from Olivia and Walter. "Come on Peter, Ella is dying to see you." Olivia told him as she moved for the coat rack.

"Ella's back? When do I get to see her?" Walter whined.

"Tomorrow, she's been dying to see you and Astrid too. I'll drop her off before we go to the coffee shop." Olivia assured him.

"Oh, I must come up with scientific activities then! Ella loves science!" Walter exclaimed.

"Don't worry I'll make sure their safe." Astrid reassured a worried looking Olivia. Walter's science experiments often involved illicit drugs and explosions, two things  
she didn't want her niece to close too.

"Alright let's go." Peter said holding out Olivia's jacket, knowing better than to help her into it.

They said their goodbyes to Walter and Astrid and headed out the door to the standard issue SUV. Olivia put the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life, the starter interrupting it's cold sleep. Olivia called ahead and took dinner orders knowing both Rachel and Ella would be tired, Peter noted her failure to mention his arrival and worried that she changed her mind and was going to dump him home and head back to her apartment.

Olivia noted his slightly worried but curious look and decided to be a little evil, she'd leave him to wonder while he looked for the nearest open restaurant. To make things worse she headed toward the Bishop home and stopped in front of the driveway causing Peter's heart to drop a little. He called and handed her the phone knowing she had the order memorized and would just tack hers on the end. She told the restaurant to give her a second and decided to end her torture, she turned to a slightly sulky Peter.

"Hey, you never told me what you wanted for dinner." she told him innocently.  
His emotions when from sulky, to confused, to annoyed, to calculating when finally a devilish smile settled on his face as he gave her his order. Olivia repeated it back to restaurant, knowing  
every point of Peter's high IQ was at work and she was probably in trouble later. Noting it had gone from late to very late, Peter ran into the house to repack his duffel bag 'just in case' he told himself, knowing full well he was spending the night once again. They stopped in front of the restaurant and Peter fetched a box of food much larger than expected and placed it in the back seat and they made their way home.

Olivia fumbled with the keys under the weight of the box, to stubborn to hand it off to Peter who was holding his duffel bag. Olivia was saved from passing off the box when the door opened to reveal a younger, less haunted version of Olivia, this noted by Peter.

"Liv!" Rachel helped Olivia bring the box of food into the apartment.

"Aunt Liv!" was all Olivia heard before a small blonde figure crashed into her midsection, she had a split second to turn so Ella wouldn't run into her gun.

"Hey there sweetie. How are you?" Olivia asked her, she'd learned that Ella preferred to be spoken to like a grown up and not cooed at. Unfortunately she didn't get much of a response as Ella and her blonde locks launched at the man standing behind Olivia.

"Uncle Peter!" Peter dropped the duffel bag and scooped Ella up into his arms.  
"What's up kiddo?" he asked her. "I'm not a kid." She announced.

"Oh really now, when did this occur?" Peter teased.

Olivia turned from the conversation to face Rachel who glanced at the duffel bag abandoned on the floor, then to Olivia, then to Peter who was still occupied with the youngest of the Dunham clan, and then back to Olivia. After years of being sisters Olivia already knew what Rachel's expression said, she had some explaining to do. Her hopes of ducking her sister's interrogation melted into a puddle of goo when Rachel told her they should let the kids play while she and Olivia set up dinner.

"So he's spending the night?" Rachel asked innocently once in the kitchen.

"Yes, we figured it would be easier, I knew Ella would be happy to see him and we could surprise her but it would be late and we have work to do in the morning so it would be easier if he just stayed here." she explained a little to quickly.

"Is that what happened last night?"Rachel asked with a little smirk.  
Shit. Olivia remembered the extra towel in the bathroom which she never put in the  
laundry.

"Funny,", Rachel continued once her suspicions were confirmed by the red that began to spill up under Olivia's collar, "I didn't see any sheets on the couch and the guest room is exactly the way I left  
the last time I was here. I wonder where he slept?"

Olivia's phone rang, saved by technology. She looked at the caller ID, no name just a number, she flipped the phone open and answered. "Hey Mat what's up?" she said to the tech.

"Hi Agent Dunham." he answered "Mat if this is a social call you can call me Olivia." she said with a smirk. She looked up to see a not entirely happy Peter had materialized behind a curious Rachel, she really needed to work on privacy.

"Um, ok. Uh Olivia," he tried out the name, the syllables slipped more awkwardly off his tongue than they should have, "I just wanted to see of you still wanted  
to grab that cup of coffee sometime."

Olivia wasn't one to mix business with pleasure but in this case she was pretty sure it was ok,  
especially when she noted that her younger coffee date wasn't too young for her little sister. The gears in the mischievous side of her brain began to turn.

"Uh yeah, I would. Actually how's tomorrow morning? I have to question a witness at a convenience store and there's a coffee shop across the street." she asked.

"That's perfect, what time?" Mat asked.

Rachel had an interview at 8:30 and she and Peter would have to drop Ella at the lab in the morning and then do the interview.

"How about 10?" she asked.

"Cool beans." he said dorkily pulling a smile from Olivia's lips once again.

This seemed to infuriate Peter more; both Olivia's sudden habit of smiling and Peter's newfound anger  
furthered Rachel's confusion.

"Okay, see you then." Olivia said.

"Ok I'll see you ... wait is your partner going to be with you? He didn't seem to like me much." Mat asked hopefully. Olivia caught Peter's eyes with her own before responding. "Yea Peter will be with me, were kind of a package deal." she said.

Some of the stoniness in Peter's face softened at her words, he still hated the fact that he'd have to watch her flirt with some kid but he'd do it. He knew he wouldn't want to be anywhere else than at her back. He would make sure the fighter in her lived to take another set of swings tomorrow.

"Ok," Mat said understanding but Olivia could still pick up a shade of disappointment in his voice, "I'll see you tomorrow, 10am sharp agent, don't be late." he teased before hanging up.  
Rachel shot her another 'We need to talk Missy' look before looking to Peter.

"Dinner is served." she said handing him a plate.

Dinner was quiet and uneventful, apparently Ella and Rachel were busy in Olivia's absence and had made cupcakes for dessert as Ella passed them around Peter whispered something in her ear that made her giggle and left them with matching evil grins that went unnoticed by Rachel and Olivia. As they all settled into the couch Peter nodded to Ella.

One alligator.

They unwrapped their cupcakes as Cartoon Network started an old rerun of the Powerpuff Girls.

Two alligator.

Ella snuck a look at her mother next to her who was eating her cupcake from the bottom up.

Three alligator.

Peter looking at Olivia from his peripheral vision sunk a fingertip into the softened icing before looking at Ella with his trademark devilish grin and proclaiming "Now!"

They both launched at the nearest Dunham sister and smeared them with frosting. This was met with both shrieks of surprise and retaliation, Rachel launched from the couch to chase after her daughter who had disappeared from the living room into the kitchen, her leftover cupcake top in hand. Olivia, who like her sister, believed in leaving the best things, like cupcake tops, for last decided to cheat and let a little of her FBI training kick in. With Peter on her right she kept her frosted weapon in her right hand and reached her left arm over his right shoulder behind his head letting her fingers rest along the back of his neck. She let her right wrist connect with a firm touch to his left shoulder and then turned her whole upper body from her hips rolling them both off the couch, Peter landed in a heap on the floor, Olivia falling right behind him. With her left arm occupied with bringing him down and her right still holding her cupcake, Olivia caught herself on her forearm which dropped her body lower than she expected. She was brought face to face with Peter, eyes locked, his blue turning dark almost black, the touch of his lips a razor's width away. The same touch from this morning. The memory raced back at her like a freight train, his scent, his touch, she found the phantom taste of him on her tongue.

Another shriek emanated from the kitchen and Olivia rolled off of Peter a split second before Rachel reappeared with a captured, giggling Ella covered in frosting. Peter sat up a small distance from Olivia who was also seated on the carpet small smiles materializing on their faces at  
a child's delight.

"We got them Uncle Peter!" she giggled.

"Yes we did my dear, yes we did." Peter told her smiling.

"Ah, so you two were in cahoots, well for that my little monster, it's a bath and off to bed  
with you." Rachel told Ella.

"Aww do we have to?" Ella asked, stifling a yawn.

"Yes we do before you fall asleep in the bath." Rachel looked to Olivia, "I'll give her a bath and we'll probably go straight to bed, she isn't going to last much longer." the tension still lingered in the air and Rachel wasn't about to let the two of them get away from working it out.

Olivia nodded, "Good night then." she rose to give Ella a kiss on the forehead, eyes already drooping, "good night Ella"

"Night Aunt Liv, night Uncle Peter." the words were small as she said them, the sedating effect of a mother's arms taking over as they headed to the bathroom.

Olivia headed in the opposite direction to the kitchen sink to clean the frosting from her cheek, Peter following close behind. She let the water run cold as Peter leaned quietly against the counter. His silent questions were loud, demanding answers as the icy water washed the frosting off her cheek and the clinging sweetness from her lips. She left him in the kitchen to make her rounds switching off the lights, she found him again waiting at the door. He was silent but the duffel bag hanging from his shoulder begged the question, if to stay or go. She answered with the turning of the brass knobs, locking him in with her.

They left their shoes at the door, silent as they moved in the darkness to her room; she flipped the switch filling the room with soft light as he laid his burden at the foot of the bed. When she laid her gun on her night stand making no move to place him on the outer lands of her couch he opened his bag and found a pair of basketball shorts and his old MIT shirt. He held the slippery material as he closed her bedroom door, the leather of his belt was silent and the denim of his jeans whispered as they were shed and placed in the bag along with his dress shirt. He tugged on the worn soft shirt and shorts and sat on the edge of the bed as he watched Olivia pull a pair of shorts and a worn t-shirt from a drawer.

Turned slightly away from him she began to undo the buttons of her shirt, her jacket already shed like a forgotten thought in the kitchen. Making him leave did cross her mind, then again there wasn't much he hadn't seen either.

The strength of him pulling her from the tank, the warmth of his body chasing back the cold that had seeped into her skin to her bones making her teeth chatter.

The water clung to her skin, the glistening drops soaking through his clothes as he held her shivering body against his chest willing her to wake up alive and unscathed.

As she dropped the shirt to the floor they both recalled the memory from years ago, coming to the surface, every detail fresh as morning dew. He watched her as the shirt fell to the floor and she took the oversized Quantico shirt and pulled it over her head, her milky skin broken up by the simple black bra disappearing beneath the heather gray cotton. He knew he should have left the room or at least looked away to give her some semblance of privacy. Unfortunately his head and body didn't agree, his eyes locked on her as her as she undid her belt and the buttons to her slacks. He didn't gawk, he'd seen her in less, he knew what to expect, but the sight of her still made his breathing hitch and his heart ache. He watched like she was a piece of art in motion, observing the grace of every curve and the strength of every angle that was her.

She felt his eyes on her, between her shoulder blades itched with the temptation to look back at him, but part of her was afraid of what she would find there. She stepped out of the pool of cloth her slacks had formed on the floor and pulled on the black cotton shorts. Out of excuses to avoid him, Olivia turned to find Peter on the edge of her bed, eyes meeting hers, waiting for her to take the lead.

He didn't want to push her, if he did she'd push back and he was afraid she'd push him away. Peter watched her as she moved toward him, her hand encircled his wrist and pulled him up to follow her. Olivia switched off the lights and they took up the same dance from the night before. Questions asked and answers given in small tugs and touches, they were in uncharted territory where words could do more harm than good. Olivia got between the sheets and he followed close behind wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back to press against his front.

He quietly brushed a whisper of a kiss on the back of her neck that sent a shiver through her, with a smile in the dark he tucked her head under his chin. "You will not dream tonight." he whispered the words like an indisputable fact, backed by volumes of dusty research.

She took comfort in this, her muscles uncoiled, releasing a tension she didn't know she had. Olivia let the arms that held her be her protection for the night and for once had no fear when fatigue tugged at the edges of her vision letting her know slumber had come to swallow her for the night. With a few last adjustments they sunk into the waiting depths of sleep.

After Diana had completed her journey and just before he started his, Apollo lent Olivia's room a few edges of light, just enough that when Peter woke he came face to face with his blonde warrior. He gave into the ache to touch her and traced her jawline, he watched as her eyelids fluttered giving him glimpses of the green in her eyes, his soft tracings drawing them out of slumber and etching them with sleep laden confusion.

Olivia found Peter staring back at her from his pillow, a smirk dancing at the edges of his mouth threatening to break into a full fledged grin if not kept in check. She sleepily took in Peter's face, his lightly tanned skin, dark blue eyes, almost black in light tinged darkness, the constant scruff he wore on his cheeks, his smile, his lips. Her thoughts tripped over those lips and her mind slowed by sleep still managed to drown her in the memory of the morning before. She remembered the feel of his mouth against hers, the press of his lips as the warmth of their bodies mingling and the taste of him like melting toffee on her tongue. She liked it, she wanted it again. The rational part of her brain wasn't offered caffeine, so it had burrowed back under the covers now clueless to what was about to happen. Olivia twined her forearm in the space between Peter's arm and side and up the back of shoulder, Peter looked at her curiously but the cobwebs of sleep still draped over her made her fail to notice. She closed the distance between them taking what she wanted.

Her kiss was a force of iron will that carried a touch like silken velvet, instantly addicting and dangerously irresistible. Peter knew he should have pulled away but he melted into the cashmere of her lips. She tasted like ginger candy, a honey covered sting that had just become his drug of choice. The kiss was short lived as she pulled away, having gotten what she came for, she looked at him a small smile gracing her mouth, part satisfaction part because Peter once again was confused as hell. She had just kissed her partner while in bed and her rational brain hadn't even stirred, she'd deal with the consequences later for now two more hours of sleep called to her. She curled against him and he embraced her as she let sleep take her over once again.

For Peter the high was short, but the intoxication lingered. He looked at the blonde asleep next to him with a mix of confusion and contentment, the confusion as to what the hell just happened was made up for in that she had kissed him and was still sleeping next to him. He already knew there would be no talk of this in the morning, she would be distant from him for the first few hours until the police work kicked in then they would be back to normal. It would be an odd couple of hours he thought as he slipped back into sleep, but he wouldn't complain progress was progress.

**A/N  
Was it worth the wait? =P  
Review please. =]**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N First off this chapter, when I moved it from my itouch to my computer, I lost the first half a page so the beginning isn't what it should be and I ended up rewriting it but I'm not to happy with it but I wanted it out today. So I apologize if it doesn't start off to well. If anyone has problems translating Shamir's dialogue let me know I'll post a translation on my profile. Please review.**

Chapter 8

Olivia woke to the smell of pancakes, her alarm clock read 6:20, the alarm never went off, probably because someone turned it off. Confused she looked over to the other side of the bed, finding it empty but there were signs that she wasn't alone last night.

"Uncle Peter can I try?" Ella's voice filtered into the room.

Peter? The night came racing back at her, the lab, getting dinner, Mat's call, Rachel's confusion the cupcake fight and close encounter. The taste of melted toffee lingered on her lips.  
Shit. She kissed her partner, while in bed with him, what the hell? She didn't even know how he felt about her, not well enough to go around kissing him just because she felt like it. You don't go around kissing your partner, at least not in the FBI, they didn't exactly take well to interpersonal relationships. Forget the FBI, what about Peter? What if he didn't want her to kiss him, what if he didn't want her? He was her partner and her friend, sure he climbed in bed with her ... and watched her change ... and she kissed him ... this isn't going anywhere helpful.

She had to get out of bed, she'd have to face him at one point or another but she could delay for a little while. Rachel should be out of the shower by now; she'd be leaving in another half hour. Remembering to grab her towel this time Olivia snuck into the steamed over bathroom. The three toothbrushes on the sink let her know she was the last to brush her teeth but the lone towel reminded her to leave enough hot water for two more to take a shower. The hot water colored her skin shades of red and eased the coils of tension that had built up in her shoulders; Rachel's girly lavender body wash didn't hurt either. Being mindful of the hot water she didn't linger in the water and steam after getting cleaned up. She dried off and headed to her bedroom double checking for Peter's presence as not to have a repeat of yesterday morning's performance. The coast was clear and she was safe to get dressed in her usual dark pants suit and white shirt, simple, easy and professional. She'd let her towel dried hair air out, it would be mostly dry by the time they got ready to leave. Olivia emerged to find Peter chuckling at Rachel in her business suit chasing a wet haired Ella down the hall.

"ELLA! Come back here I have to go soon!" Rachel yelled in hot pursuit.

"But I want Aunt Liv to do it." Ella pouted after being cornered by the front door.

"Ella, I don't think Aunt Liv knows how to do a French braid sweetie." Rachel responded.

She was right, a braided ponytail was as far as Olivia's knowledge of hair styling went.

"I can do it for her. " Peter offered and both Dunham sisters heads spun to at stare at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Peter Bishop is there something you're not telling us?" Rachel teased picking up Ella.

"It's not like I sit and practice on dolls or anything." he defended digging himself a deeper hole.

Olivia couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Peter braiding a Barbie dolls hair apparently nor could Rachel who broke out into a laugh.

"Ok Ella, is alright if Uncle Peter braids your hair then?" Rachel asked between chuckles.

Ella nodded, "But Aunt Liv could you brush my hair out for me?"

"Of course Ella." she smiled, it would give Peter a chance to take a shower and keep from any more incidents or close encounters of the intimate kind.

"Alright kiddo, Mom's gotta leave so no giving Aunt Liv, Uncle Peter, Uncle Walter or Aunt Astrid any trouble. Got it?" Rachel told her daughter.

Ella nodded and Rachel put her down to collect her things and gave Ella a hug before she left, after the front door closed Ella ran off to find a hair brush leaving Peter and Olivia, mostly Olivia, feeling a little awkward.

"For the record I learned to French braid in while I was in Norway." Peter said making cracks in the silence.

"To impress a girl?" Olivia asked looking to throw him off like she did with the anthropologist.

"Actually no, I was staying at a hostel and the owner was an elderly woman who taught me so I could braid it for her every morning. In exchange she'd make me scrambled eggs." he explained with a smile.

"I believe you, but the idea of you playing with Barbie dolls is so much more entertaining." she laughed.

Ella chose that moment to return with a hairbrush after overhearing the wrong parts of the conversation.

"Uncle Peter, I could let you play with some of my Barbie's, I don't mind sharing." Ella told him innocently and causing Olivia to break out into another smile.

Peter shook his head in defeat, "What am I going to do with you Dunham women?"

"Well you obviously can't beat us so you might as well hit the showers. I'll get Ella dressed and hair brushed in the mean time." she told him as the thought of him in the shower played in her mind.

Peter nodded and headed for Olivia's room to grab a towel and redirected to the bathroom. As he shed his clothes thoughts of Olivia moved through his mind like passing ships. He'd recently begun to do this, going over parts of their relationship and how they had gotten to know each other over the years. He stepped into the hot water as he reanalyzed last night, seeing her change was much more intimate than he expected, the fact that she felt comfortable doing it in front of him gave him hope in that maybe they could be together. The kiss this morning caught him off guard, why she did it was beyond him but he wouldn't over think it. As the hot water soaked thru his hair and trailed down his chest and back he'd come to the conclusion that Olivia Dunham was the only woman who could leave him this confused and speechless and he honestly wouldn't want it any other way. He was used to getting what he wanted using his charm, wit and intelligence but they didn't work on Olivia, she made him work, she'd already beat him at his own game by getting him back to Boston and that was part of her appeal. She was selfless in what she did, and even though he hated it, she would step into a firefight if it meant that she could protect someone cared about. The woman was amazing, the fact that she was stunningly beautiful and had an amazing body with great curves and tight b- Peter jumped back as an onslaught of freezing water told him that the hot water heater was now empty. With his shower and pondering cut short he got out, dried off and padded off to Olivia's room. Digging through his duffel bag he found boxers, a dark pair of jeans and a charcoal dress shirt. Only being an FBI consultant had its perks, no need for the suit and tie, now if he could only convince Broyles to let him carry a gun. Peter made it to the kitchen to find Ella eating the pancakes they had made while Olivia fussed over her hair. Agent Dunham FBI agent turned hair dresser, he couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Why don't you eat some breakfast Liv, I can take over from here." he told her when she finally looked up.

"Alright Ken, work your magic." she teased handing off the hairbrush.

"You just wait and see." he responded, he turned to Ella, "Alright milady I need you up on the stool, and let me know if I'm braiding it too tightly."Ella nodded and complied.

Olivia was left to get herself a stack of pancakes and cover them in maple syrup. She sat quietly and watched Peter and Ella, she chatted away as Peter expertly twisted and folded her golden locks into a neat braid starting at the crown of her head. He'd make a good father one day, was all that came to mind. She was surprised that he hadn't found someone in the time he spent in Boston, he was practically perfect, good looks, intelligent, great with kids and she knew he could have any woman he wanted. Then again working with Fringe division did make for a poor social life. She watched as he finished up with Ella's golden locks as she ate not really tasting or paying attention to anything for that matter.

"Ok milady, your all done, go take a look." Peter told Ella who promptly hopped off the stool and ran off to the guest room to see Peter's handiwork.

He caught Olivia staring before she became very interested in her pancakes, he wouldn't say anything. While he enjoyed being sarcasm, it would only prolong things going back to normal and he really didn't want Olivia to be distant all day. Ella bounded happily back in the room obviously satisfied with the results.

"What do you say Ella?" Olivia asked.

"Thank you Uncle Peter." she said with a smile.

"Alright let's get going kids, Astrid and Walter are waiting." Olivia said grabbing their jackets.

They headed out the door to the black SUV, Rachel had transferred the booster seat before she left and left it running, a thankful Olivia hoisted Ella into the seat and buckled her in as Peter watched, his thoughts of parenthood mirrored Olivia's earlier ones. He knew her life was to hectic to have the standard 2.5 children and after the Jacksonville revelation paired with working with the Fringe division life would never be normal for her. Then again him being from another universe didn't make him quite normal either, the secret had created a rift between him and Walter for a time. Olivia caught him leaving the hospital and realized he was going to disappear back to his old life with not so much as a goodbye. The look on her face was of betrayal and sadness, tears she was to stubborn to shed had formed in her eyes, just the memory of it put cracks in his heart and made his chest hurt. It was that day he realized that his life had become so intertwined with hers that he would never be able to look her in the eyes and walk away. He stayed and eventually made peace with the fact that Walter had stolen him from his family but in the end he did also save his life. Olivia had been distant for a while, the fact that the one person who had her back at all times was going to walk away had shaken her a bit, it took time for them to get back to normal, the fact that Broyles was going to suspend them both if they didn't start working together helped a bit too.

"Hey, you getting in or should I pick you up later?" Olivia called to him from the driver's side window.

Peter snapped out of his thoughts and took shotgun, the memory still heavy in his chest. Olivia sensed something was wrong by the lack of snappy response, she would ask him later away from Ella. That meant the drive over was a quiet one, punctuated by stories told by Ella about school and playmates. Once thru the lab doors Olivia got a little uneasy, Walter usually meant well but his experiments weren't always kid friendly, the last thing Olivia wanted to do was explain why Ella was missing her eyebrows or worse, seeing unicorns.

"Ella!"

"Uncle Walter!" both Walter and Ella rushed at each other like long lost playmates, Walter scooping her up and placing her on his hip.

"Are we ready to do science?" Walter asked her.

"Yes," she nodded, "your experiments are better than Bill Nye's." she told him.

"Thank you dear." Walter paused and looked at Astrid "Who is Bill Nye?"

Astrid looked at Walter and then to Olivia with a smile,"All the experiments don't go past a high school level, no dangerous chemicals or explosions and I'll be supervising, so don't worry. You two can go on ahead with the case." she reassured both Olivia and Peter while looking for signs of a night in bed not spent sleeping. Unfortunately they both looked well rested. As they both headed to the door Astrid sighed, there was no progress, oh well desperate times called for desperate measures.

She turned to Walter who was setting up a pink and purple titration, "Hey Walter, what do you know about synthesizing pheromones?"Walter looked confused for a moment and then smiled the same devilish smile he, by a play of genetics, passed to his son.

Peter and Olivia got on their way to the convenience store and Peter had no change in his lack of volume. Finally fed up she pushed at the silence while fear tugged at her heart for this morning's kiss. Something was wrong and she needed to know what before they stepped back into this case.

"Peter, is something bothering you?" she asked eyes glued to the road.

"What makes you say ?" he said avoiding the question.

"The look you had and your lack of sarcasm all morning." Olivia laid out.

He really had to stop trying to hide things from her, she was a detective for a reason. The fact that he was trying to made the lead in his chest grow heavier, he wanted her but he couldn't have her if he wasn't going to be honest with her.

He sighed and started to explain, "I saw you with Ella this morning and realized, as long as we work for Fringe division we will never have normal lives. I have no problem with that but you, Astrid and Walter have been the only solid thing I've had in a long time and I almost walked away from that."

Olivia relaxed internally, he did almost walk out of her life that morning, but he decided to stay. She knew a partner relationship could be a very strong one but she never really knew how intertwined you're lives could become when doing what they do for Fringe. The whole group had become very tight knit; even Broyles became closer to them and found that he had a soft spot for Astrid. She could understand that the guilt of almost walking away from that could still weigh on him.

"Peter that was months ago, everything we built was rocked that day and it made sense for you to want to leave and not see it fall apart. The part that matters most is that you stayed."

She put her hand in his stealing a glance across the wide expanse of SUV at him before snapping her attention to the road once again. Her hand was soft and warm in his but strong with calluses in places from training and shooting practice. They were a perfect picture of her, the caring warrior with her fair share of twining scars.

"I know." he said.

Olivia not convinced gave his hand a squeeze, when she didn't pull away Peter laced his fingers with hers returning the comforting press of skin. With no protests from either they stayed that way for the rest of the ride.

They pulled into the parking lot of Taj's, it was a decently sized store with floor to ceiling windows in front and a brick front to match the rest of the buildings around it. Inside were perfectly packed, parallel aisles of the normal merchandise you'd find in most convenience stores, snacks, small amounts of medicine and burner phones. Peter and Olivia ventured across the floor, the fluorescent lighting reflecting along the white and lime linoleum.

Olivia approached the counter where a very bored and gangly looking teen with a head of red curly hair stood staring at an issue of Maxim. Olivia cleared her throat and the teen whose name tag read 'Randy' looked up.

"Hi," Olivia said, a friendly smile on her face, "I'm looking for the manager."

"He's not here." Randy said as he dropped his attention back to the half naked brunette in the magazine.

"Do you know how we can reach him?" Olivia asked, her ability to stay polite was quickly fading.

"He said he isn't to be disturbed unless it's and emergency, if you have a complaint fill out one of those cards," he said pointing to a stocked cardholder,"and put it in that box." he said pointing to the other side of the counter, not once looking up from the pages before him.

Peter stepped in to say something but was stopped by Olivia's hand pressed firmly to his chest. When he stepped back Olivia tugged her ID from her pocket and unholstered her gun putting them down on the counter on Randy's dirty magazine. His head snapped up with a look of surprise as he gave Olivia his full attention.

A devilish turn graced Olivia's lips, "I need the owner of the store, I have some questions for him regarding the murder of Jessica Cornwallace. You are going to get them here by any means necessary and if you don't I will have you arrested for impeding law enforcement. Are we clear?"

A shaken Randy tried to speak but when words failed him he reeled his jaw up off the floor and grabbed for the phone. Peter couldn't help but smile inwardly and put a check on the laughter that threatened to spill from his lips. Olivia while kind, caring and beautiful could be damn well scary when she needed too, this was a milder example of what the small blonde could do. Peter left a stony faced Olivia to question the cashier who luckily turned out to be 18, he perused the store looking for security cameras. When he located them all he started computing basic angles to figure which one would give the best views of the phone display. About 10 minutes later when Peter was between finding the square-root of 'a' in the Pythagorean theorem and figuring out the tangent of 20 feet over 9 feet the front doors of the store opened. A man about Peter's height and stature walked in wearing jeans, a maroon polo and work boots. A pair of sunglasses sat on top of his thick, short cut silver hair. He seemed to be of Indian decent but the accent that colored his words definitely was not.

"Randy! Whay dem?" the man bellowed walking to the counter an accent from deep in the Caribbean shaded his words with almost musical tones.

"Over here," Olivia said emerging from one of the aisles and Peter from another. "I'm Agent Dunham and this is my partner Peter Bishop."she motioned toward Peter, "Are you the owner?"

"Yea, I's Shamir Ramjon, ah own deh place wit meh pahtnah Kadeen Ramkisoon. What ah could to help yuh?" Shamir asked.

"We're here about the murder of Jessica Cornwallace-" Olivia started.

"Nevah heard ah deh gyal, let alone anyting about merdah." Shamir cut in.

"We're not here because we think you're a suspect, we're here because we think our killer may have bought a prepaid phone from you." Olivia informed him.

"We were hoping your surveillance may have caught something." Peter said pointing to a black orb hanging from the ceiling.

"Dat I could help yuh wit." Shamir said walking toward the back of the store, "Yuh happen to know when he buy deh phone?"

"We think it was about two and a half weeks ago." Olivia told him. The burner phone had been used to make nightly calls to Jessica around that time. Unfortunately while the phone company could help them figure out where the phone was bought, they couldn't pinpoint when it was sold but at least they had a reference date to work with.

"Ok so we have ahn end date, whey yuh wahnt meh staht?" Shamir asked opening a locked door that was painted to blend in with the walls of the store.

"We're not actually sure, according to the phone company they can tell us when the phone was activated but not when it was bought." Olivia said.

Shamir swung the door open and flipped a switch to reveal a hi-tech surveillance set up. There were several led flat screens mounted to a wall above a desk that had another large touch screen computer.

"Yeh happen tuh know what type ah phone it was? If yuh could tell meh dat ah could look up on wha days we sell it and den give dah tapes fuh doe's days." Shamir said as he pulled up an inventory program on the computer.

Peter pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, he'd jotted down the model of the phone while Olivia was talking to the Phone company, he handed it to Shamir.

"Oh damn, dis one does sell fas." he said typing in the phone model number into the computer, he hit search and let the program run,"We get ah set in about a munth ago an it was gone ina week. Is rehl populah wit dem drug deelah dem. Dey eh need ah account tuh set it up it eh hah no papah trail. When ah rhealize dat ah pull it, de last ting ah need is tuh be helpin peepuhl like dem. To much peepul lose dey life ohvah schupedness like dat, me ahn Kadeen eh wah no blood on we hans from dat nah."

The computer beeped and presented five days and over 30 sales with time stamps. Shamir pulled up another program that presented an overhead blueprint of the store layout and highlighted where the cameras were, he then selected the registers and the cellphone display. This caused the five cameras that Peter had calculated to have the best angles to light up. Shamir clicked ok and was presented a calendar in which he chose the five days that were presented by the program, and hit ok once again. The program went to a processing screen and left them to wait in the small room once again. When both the printer and a cd burner came to life Shamir turned to Olivia.

"Could yuh do meh a favah? When yuh done wit dem tapes yuh tink yuh could sen dem to someone who does deal wit drug traffickin?"

"Of course, but why?" Olivia asked with furrowed brow? Most civilians didn't really want get involved in preventing drug crimes or drug lords for that matter, his request sparked her curiosity.

"Ah loss somebudy, she name was Catharine. When me ahn Kadeen come up hear we was illegal ahn hadn't ah clue. She put we on dah right path ahn help we ghey we visa ahn ting, even help we ghey a loan to staht up hear. Den one day ah ghey a message from she muddah, some jackass lookin fuh money fuh he habit kill she, shot she dead in duh street fuh fifteen dohllas. If ah could do something to bring she back ah would bit ah lil too late fuh dat. Dis is duh lease ah could do fuh she." he told her. The computer beeped and Shamir collected and labeled five cd's and handed them to Olivia.

"Please." was all he said as his hand covered hers.

Olivia nodded,"I'll do my best."

Peter and Olivia walked out of the store and Olivia handed him the stack of CDs and the keys while she made a call to a friend she had in the DEA. Shamir emerged a few seconds later and approached Peter.

"Aye, before you do, ah wanted to tell yuh someting. Ah notice two tings while we was in dare. One she's dee one wid dee gun nuh you." Shamir told him.

"So? What of it?" Peter asked slightly miffed, Broyles still wouldn't clear him to carry a gun and he hated it.

"Well lemmeh finish, dee second ting ah notice is dah way you look at dah guhal. Boy lemme tell you someting, when Catharin die yuh know wah was meh biggesse regret?" Shamir paused waiting for an answer.

"That you weren't there to save her." Peter answered.

"No boy, I could ah nevah save dah guyal. She was too damn stubborn, yuh tell she noh ahn she still wouldah gone. Someting tellin meh your guyal does do dah same ting." Shamir continued.

Peter smirked and nodded, "You could say that."

Shamir smiled but his face gave in to sorrow and became serious.

"Meh biggesse regret wit Catharine is she die witout knowin dat ah loved her. Yuh tink yuh have all deh time in the whorl and den dey gohn. She puh she self in hahms way day in ahn day out ahn nuhting yuh tell she guh make she do diffrent." he said pointing to Olivia who was still on the phone with her back turned. Peter's face had turned grim as he listened, "Doh let 'er pass yuh by, ahn make shur she know how yuh feel 'bout she because dee nex time she close she eye dey may nevah open ahgain. Ah could tell yuh from experience, dah guh leave a hole dah even time wohn heal. She care about yuh, she ain't gonna hurt yuh if yuh tell she how yuh feel. Yeh geh meh?"

Peter gave him a nod, "I get you."

"Everything ok?" Olivia asked coming to stand beside Peter.

"Yea were ok, I was just asking about the surveillance equipment setup. I figure we might be able to use it at some point." Peter fibbed.

Shamir fished out his wallet and handed Peter his card, "Call meh we guh tahk. Ahn if ah could be ah any help lemme know."

With that Shamir got into his pickup and left, Peter and Olivia followed suit and headed to the coffee shop. The clock reading 10:15 let Olivia know she was late but the fact that she hadn't gotten a call from Mat or Rachel let her know her plan had worked perfectly. They walked through the doors of the coffee shop and were immediately wrapped in the soft scent of coffee and baked pastries that promised to leave sweetness on your tongue. Olivia spotted her sister and Mat sitting across from each other talking animatedly and laughing.

"Maybe we should order first and let them enjoy each other." Peter suggested, not really wanting to see Mat hit on Olivia any time soon. Olivia nodded and got in line observing everyone at shop while she waited her turn.

Peter ended up watching her scan the shop, she was always on full alert, taking in everything around her not letting anything slip. It's what kept her and him alive through all of their bizarre cases. They made it to the barista who took their orders, a request to see the manager and a covert flash of Olivia's ID made the young girl's eyes go wide and sent her spinning to find her boss. They scooted off to the side allowing the other caffeine addicts to customize their fix.

The wide eyed barista came back with Olivia and Peter's drinks in hand and told them that the manager was on a conference call with corporate and was sorry and he'd be another 20 minutes. He did however give them their drinks on the house as a thank you for giving him an excuse to end the call early. With time to kill the pair headed over to Rachel and Mat's table.

Rachel looked up and smiled when she saw Olivia and Peter, "Hey you two! What took you guys so long?" she asked standing up to hug the both of them, Mat stood with her giving Olivia an awkward one armed embrace and shook Peter's. Rachel caught Mat wincing and her eyes flicked to Peter's not so happy face, she smiled inwardly maybe those two had hope after all.

"So I see you met my sister Rachel." Olivia started looking at Mat.

"Yea," he grinned sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck, "I thought she was you at first, and then she said she was waiting on you too."

"And then we started talking, and kept talking." Rachel smiled, shaking her head.

Olivia let the smile that played over her mouth cover the thoughts of success that threatened to surface on her face. She could tell the pair had chemistry, and very good potential, so she decided to push them in the deep end.

"So the two of you have been getting along well then?" Olivia asked the two of them.

Peter suppressed a chuckle at the sight of Mat's face, he looked as if he had just got caught naked with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Better than just well," Rachel responded smiling, oblivious to the panic that had taken over Mat's expression, "I didn't think it was possible to find so much in common with someone you just met."

Olivia gave a devilish smile that closely resembled Peter's, proof that they'd spent entirely to much time together. She turned that smile on the brown tech, this did nothing to help his state of panic.

"So Mat," Olivia almost purred, "why don't you ask my sister out?"

Mat looked like a deer in headlights, completely lost as to which move would be the least likely to get him shot. The FBI agent obviously had someone who loved her but the sister was free, she had a kid but he loved kids. Then again dating an FBI agent's sister could get you shot if you broke her heart.

"Liv, be nice." Rachel told her sister teasingly, she turned to Mat, "I'd love to go out with you sometime, it would be nice to get to talk to someone my age every once in a while."

"Oh-Okay," Mat stuttered, "uh, do you want my number?" he asked reaching for a napkin.

"Sure, and I'll give you mine, I'll call you tonight and we'll see when we're-" she paused, ",you don't work crazy hours like that one do you?" Rachel jutted a thumb at Olivia who in turn raised an eyebrow at her.

Mat shook his head still having difficulties with forming words.

"Okay good, so I'll see what you're up to during the week and we can make plans." she said picking up another napkin.

They chatted for a few more minutes deciding on flexible dinner plans, Rachel knowing both Peter and Olivia kept odd hours when working on a case had suggested somewhere that stayed open well past midnight. At some point after deciding that Mat should come along and they should probably check what Astrid and Broyles were doing because the whole team doesn't get out enough and that Walter and Ella would love spending time together and they're pretty sure of they called now they  
could get someone to watch the two of them while they camped in the lab, Mat's beeper went off calling him back to the lab while the manager came out and motioned Peter and Olivia over at almost the same time that Rachel got a call to see if she could come back that day for a second interview.

The group broke up saying their goodbye's and heading in their separate directions. Olivia and Peter walked to meet the manager, Mat headed for the door in a hurry, something about one of his techs accidentally dissolving their glasses leaving Rachel to her phone call. Apparently her interviewer loved her and wanted to the second round of interviews immediately. She finished her coffee, dropped her phone in her purse and picked up the napkin with Mat's number. Now she had two calls to make tonight, she should manhunt in Boston more often because Mr. Perfect and Tall, dark and handsome got together and had twins and lucky her had both their numbers. She tucked the napkin in her purse next to the other from earlier and headed to the door sparing a glance and a wave to her sister before she was on her way.

**A/N Hope you enjoyed it, I'll be starting chapter 9 soon but I'm tossing the idea of an Astrid/Broyles relationship around but I'm not sure quite yet. If you have an opinion on it let me know. Please review =]**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

***Posts, runs, hides*  
I don't own Fringe!**

A/N

Chapter 9  
He knew scouting in the same place twice was dangerous and should only be reserved for emergencies but she was perfect. Her measurements would be an exceptional fit and her skin was a smooth milky cream. She would be pleased with this one, he thought as he looked at the photos of a blonde laid out before him. He sized up the woman in the picture estimating measurements, she was just slightly larger than his love in all of the right places. If there was no scarring beneath the clothing then he just might even be able to do a majority transplant. It would leave her with minimal stitching another thing she would be pleased with. The stitches from the latest transplant had begun to itch, a sign that they could be removed in another day or two and only a few days to for the skin to completely heal over. After that a spray tan would even out her coloring, combined with the right clothing she could be outside unnoticed. She longed for the sun even if she could only have it for a short time. The underground space kept them protected by covering their unusual heat signal but the harsh fluorescent lights and the stone cold concrete walls couldn't help but make it feel like they had moved from one prison to another. He knew how she felt, but they both had seen what could happen if they rushed the healing process. He remembered when they were almost caught, he had been careless and for that he almost lost her for a second time. They had made their promise to the doctor not many months before that day. He had become more practiced at the art involved in removing his donors skin and he had just done another transplant a few days before. They were both restless after spending days hiding in the basement of an abandoned building. He could only spend a few hours outside at a time, they couldn't risk him being recognized just in case they weren't presumed dead after the fire. So they had stayed to the shadows where they were safe while she healed. His latest potential donor was a curvy brunette named Lisandra who was lonely and overworked. She spent a majority of her time tied up with her job, she knew nothing outside of the four walls of her office building. Her droning paragraphs about office politics made him want to take a drill to his temple but he lied and acted to gain her trust. It would all be worth it because it would all be for her, it would allow him to once again hold his love. It was the first time he talked to a potential in front of her, she had suggested it when she realized the guilt he had felt for talking to the donors the way he did, he felt unfaithful to her. She had listened to his conversations for hours as he wove his thread of lies for Lisandra and she fed him things to say. Being a woman she knew what women wanted to hear and she would give him the words to drip like honey from his lips. He eventually was able to spin his own words of sweet deceit to feed Lisandra but he spoke them for his love and her alone. Many of the donors were self centered and never knew the words he said were not for them but another who held his level gaze as he spoke. Eventually Lisandra had agreed to meet for dinner and he pushed for a date that was two weeks away. It would give him time to get her to trust him, and it would also be the perfect time to replace his love's skin. It had healed over and she could move around the city if well covered. He remembered taking her to the building's roof and watching her step into the sunlight that had been denied to her for so long. She was beautiful no matter what skin she wore, she gave him purpose and most of all she had given him life. He had decided to devote his life to giving her the same thing. The nightly calls continued and the two of them looked for new things to tell Lisandra as they prepared food and talked of the old lives that had been taken from before the trials. Each night they would learn a little more about the other and each night they would draw their donor in just a little more. The night that he was to meet Lisandra was a sunset away. They finalized their plans over the phone, his love listening attentively, giving him cues and filling in words that wrapped Lisandra around their fingertips. He let her pick a restaurant that she liked, if she knew the place she would be comfortable and would let her guard down more easily. He asked her if she knew how to play pool, she didn't. He offered to teach her, it would allow him to make small physical contacts, at first casual almost accidental and slowly move up to more intimate contact, never crass or over the line. Each touch he made would have to hold an air of hesitance, as if he was unsure of his bounds. By allowing Lisandra to think dating was unstable ground for him he would give her the space to take the lead, feel in control & she would start to initiate the contact. He'd let her catch him staring at her, not her breasts or buttocks but her as a whole, like her entire being enthralled him. He knew playing the shy card once caught would appeal to her, it creates an opportunity for her to take control. A donor associates control with safety, if she thinks she has him on a string, she will take him home. Creating the illusion of control is what had been getting him in the door and each new donor gave him practice and gave him a chance to learn new ways to manipulate them. He had to admit, a few psychology books and an a woman's point of view helped too. As the sun made a slow fall in the sky he got dressed while she watched him from their handmade bed. Once he was dressed he turned to his love who gave him a last nod of approval. He gathered his coat and tucked his roll of tools into its pocket, he gave her one last glance before heading out into the dying light. She would prepare the solutions and equipment he would need once he got back, she knew how to set up the cooling table and dose herself with the homemade pain killers. He'd seen the flaking dry patches and the painful cracks that had begun to appear. They were looking for new ways to help the skin hold more moisture for longer periods of time but had made little progress. As he stepped out into the chilled darkness he pulled on his jacket as a formality. The cold never bothered either of them but a man in a t-shirt during a snowstorm stood out, he was trying to lie low. He got into the black Land Rover they acquired from the good doctor and headed off toward the highway. He knew the route well, he'd been using it multiple times a day. He took the roads without thinking twice, got off on the same exit as always and took a turn off the main street to a heavily wooded back road. The heavy vegetation made his HID's useful and not just an annoying automotive fashion statement. He took the narrow road for another two miles before coming to a large shed barely visible beneath the forest's slow and quiet reclamation of its beams. He never bothered to clear the vines that wove up the sides, they provided good cover and made the shed almost unnoticeable. He left his car and went to the shed pulling open the old oversized door revealing a black Honda Accord that was a few years old. It was hard to spot at night and everybody had one, it was average, not flashy or falling apart, easy to forget. He went through the process of switching the cars and grabbed his tool roll and a large cooler before closing the door on the Land Rover he would reclaim later on in the night. He took the Honda on the road heading to his destination, he was always early it made a better impression and started the donor on a false mindset of him waiting on her in every way. The selfishness and self centeredness of people angered and frustrated him, he had found that he took pleasure in, with the help of her, turning it on them. His thoughts dwelled on his love as he pulled up to Thai restaurant, he would have to get an extra order of Pad Thai to take home for her or she'd kill him, she was addicted to the stuff. He decided to order it to go early, this would be a long night and they would probably closed when he headed back tonight, not to mention the skin would need fresh solution within two hours of removal. He looked to the cooler in the back seat, better not to cut it to close. He entered the restaurant and and spoke with the maître d explaining he was waiting for a blind date but wanted a dish to go. Insurance in case she stood him up so he wouldn't have to face the shame of eating alone. The maître understood and took his order having the cooks speed it along so his date wouldn't catch him taking it to go. The when he paid the maître gave him two containers "Just in case you needed breakfast for two." he winked. He smiled at the man's optimism, he was a wolf in sheep's clothing and no one ever knew. He took the bag from the maître with a bashful grin and headed back to the car placing the food in the cooler that he'd 'accidentally' forgotten to remove after his last fishing trip. The cooler in the backseat instead of the trunk helped prevent any premature intimacies from occurring in the car. The donor's bedroom was his theater and workshop, it also often offered more room than the backseat ever would. An older forest green Toyota pulled into the lot and parked, the driver's side door opened to reveal an average length of legs encased in suede knee high boots, giving flashes of coffee cream skin that disappeared under a black skirt. The knee length skirt hugged the curves of her hips and waist. Her sleeveless blouse clung slightly to her breasts, hinting at what was there. He exited his car and walked to meet her as she pulled a leather jacket from the passenger seat. He gave a smile to match her own as she pulled on the coat covering her bare skin from the cold. He gave her a slightly awkward hug and a brush of lips on the cheek giving her slightly downturned eyes and an unsure smile. Her smile broke into a grin and she took his hand in hers. "C'mon" she told him as she led him to the door of the restaurant, they came to the maître d who greeted them both with a smile, Lisandra gave the maître d her name for the reservation, he gave her a nod and told them to give him a few minutes while pointing them in the direction of the coat check. He took off his jacket and handed it to the girl behind the counter and turned quickly to help Lisandra out of hers. Once out of her jacket he turned to observe Lisandra pretending to be completely oblivious to the check girl that was giving him sultry eyes. She was beautiful but coming in at 5' 4" Lisandra was tad to short to be a model, the fact that it was an anatomic impossibility for her to be smaller than a size 6 and still look healthy disqualified her from the runway all together. Her body was all curves and she wore them in a way that spoke hushed whispers of warmth and sex, it declared her as a true woman and made men's heads turn. Even he had to stop and admire her form, his pulse spiked as he thought of what he would do to those curves later that night. Dinner started with small talk and snowballed into more office politics, a comfortable groove that she was unable to climb out of. He feigned interest and listened to her giving honest input that led her to like him more. He told her the same canned stories he'd told before and made her laugh just like the other women, touching her hands or her arm at just the right times. He watched as she mentally moved him from possible threat to mostly harmless and slipped into a comfort zone that let her lower her guard. Once dinner was over they left the restaurant hand in hand, a smile etched on her face as he walked her to her car. He let her see shyness in his eyes as he held the door for her so that she would take the lead, which she did. He watched her bite her lip weighing her options and which would lead where, halfway through the process she tugged on the lapels of his coat to bring his lips to hers in a soft kiss, she pulled away and smiled up at him as his cheeks reddened. She had taken control, he knew things would be easy from this point. They made it to the pool hall where they grabbed a table and two bottles of Guinness. He set up the table and quickly went through the rules, how to rack, how to break and different shots. He broke and walked her through the first few games, helping her pick which balls to sink first, figure out which pocket would offer the best chances and correcting her shots. He would help her fix her posture using small touches and pressure to indicate which way he wanted her to go but left the choice to move up to her. After she got it down he stopped giving her pointers and let her figure out how she wanted to play herself. He had to admit she was a quick study, after about two hours she was starting to run the table, after the third hour had passed they decided to call it quits. He returned the equipment and paid the clerk as she grabbed their coats and got rid of the bottles. When they met at the front door she took his hand in hers and invited him over for a cup of coffee 'if it wasn't to late' He had told her that he didn't have to be anywhere in the morning making her smile as red stained her cheeks. They headed to their separate cars with the understanding that he would follow her home and find parking on the street while she started up the coffee maker. The street parking should have made him nervous but he was so close, just a little while longer and he'd have what he came for. He finally found a spot about a block down from her apartment, he stuffed his tool roll in his jacket and trekked back to her door where she was waiting for him two mugs in hand. They sat side by side continuing their stories punctuated by laughter and increasing amounts of contact. When their cups came up empty she offered to refill and he accepted. As she walked toward the kitchen he slipped a syringe from his coat and followed after her. He stood in the door frame of the kitchen and watched her as she poured two more cups, taking in the beauty of her. She turned to face him mug in hand once again, her eyes meeting his where he let her find what he saw in her. He walked toward her and took the cup and set on the counter before pulling her close for a soft kiss. When he moved to pull back her hand found a way to the back of his neck and pulled him back for more. He placed his hands on the curves of her hips as hers worked their way under his shirt finding his his back and chest. She broke off the kiss after a few moments looked up at him for few seconds, judging and weighing, the gears clicked and turned behind her eyes before she grabbed his hand and led him across the tile floor to the rug covered oak of her bedroom. She pushed him back on the bed and climbed up after him straddling his hips, her skirt now halfway up her thighs. She started on the buttons his shirt working her way up until his chest lay bare before her, the cool leather of her boots pressed against his sides. He sat up slowly as not to topple her and pressed his lips against hers as her lifted the edge of her blouse, he pulled back to pull the cloth over her dropping it on the side the bed. He ran his hands up her sides to her shoulders and pulled her toward him as he leaned to lay back on the bed. He fisted her hair and kissed her thoroughly as he slipped the syringe from his pocket, he used his grip on her hair to pull her back from the kiss and expose her neck as he worked the cover off to expose the needle. He pressed his lips to the spot above her collarbone leaving soft kisses that made her pulse jump beneath his mouth. When she began to writhe he bit down firmly on the soft skin and plunged the needle into her exposed thigh. She jerked above him, afraid to pull back from the hold he had on her neck, he took her hesitation and used it to turn them over so she was now trapped under him. She automatically threw her forearms up in front of her and dug her elbows into the mattress below her giving her leverage to push her hips up and topple him off of her. He hit the floor hard and she rolled off on the other side of the bed trying to make for the door. He rose off the floor in time to see her throw the door open and move down the hallway dragging her paralyzed leg with her. He didn't bother to run after her, he knew her racing heart was pumping the paralytic through her fast enough that she would be immobile by the time she made it to the door, the caffeine she took in would only intensify the effect. He walked calmly past the bed grabbing and shrugging on his shirt and made his way to the foyer, he found her in a heap at the front entrance, the door slightly ajar her right hand clinging to the doorknob. He scooped her limp body up peeling her fingers from the door, she let out a whimper that was a shadow of a scream as her skin burned and blistered under his hands. His heart was racing now, the time had finally come, their weeks of work had bore its fruit and all he had to do was pluck it from its burdened branches. Unfortunately if he didn't calm down he would set the whole place ablaze. He took Lisandra back to her room and dumped her on the bed and went in search of his tool roll. He returned and straightened Lisandra so she was laying supine on the mattress propping up her head on pillows and fanning out her hair on the cloth case. He unraveled the roll across her abdomen and pulled a scalpel from its sleeve, he pressed to her skin and begun his work.  
Fours hours and three adrenaline shots later he was done. The sheets were a soaked red ruin and his hands cramped from gripping the slippery metal of his tools. He was finding that his love was right, he should have made grips with the silicone they found at that hardware store.

He looked upon what was left of Lisandra, her wrists to shoulders to knees were a red ruin of exposed muscle and tendons. Her eyes stared unblinkingly down at her own body with pupils the size of dinner plates, a reaction to the adrenaline he shot through her veins. Her eyelids were lost somewhere beneath the pillows, punishment for refusing to observe his work.

He was a little disappointed when her heart stopped somewhere in the third hour, he might have been able to keep it going had he thought to pack more of the adrenaline shots. He gathered the skin and his thoughts making a list for next time as he took the flesh to the kitchen sink. He left his prize to soak in lukewarm water and went to shower off the congealing blood in Lisandra's bathroom. Some of it had dried and he had to spend some time scrubbing it until it flaked off of his skin and traveled down the drain. Once clean he dried off with a towel from the linen closet and got dressed. He had taken to performing his art nude when his love started becoming increasingly pissed at the fact that he kept bringing home bloody laundry. Once he had looked over the small house cleaning up any traces he may have left behind and superheating those he couldn't, he gathered the skin in his jacket, switched off all the lights and locked up as he left. He headed down the block to his car, he was so preoccupied with wondering how the frigid temperatures would affect the skin he didn't notice the homeless man who had noticed him. The same homeless man who was awakened by the police over 50 hours later asking if he knew anything about the rotting horror that laid a mere few hundred feet away. It had only been five days since the transplant and it took at least a week to heal. It had taken a coworker 36 hours to notice Lisandra had gone missing, it took another 12 before she could file a missing persons report and another 2 before they discovered her mutilated body. It took police 72 hours to take a clue coaxed from the homeless man and track her killer to an abandoned factory two towns over. 120 hours later the walls closed in and damn near collapsed. He remembered the explosion and the smoke filling the room as he rushed to move his love from the cooling table. Bullets rang past them as he ran pulling her behind him, ragged pain filled breaths heaving from her chest as the healing skin pulled and tore at the still growing connections. They planned the escape every time and went over it again and again until it was second nature. He let her go only once, to seal the exit behind them, the steel and aluminum scraps they had stored disguised as a junk heap was now a solid metal wall. By the time they made it to the iced river blood was pouring from her stitches and she was fading. He remembered dragging her over his shoulder and hearing threads snapping beneath her bloodied blouse before he took what might be their last leap of faith and plunged into the icy water below. They were lucky that day, the equipment was mostly packed and set to go downstream and it was their curse that saved them from dying in the icy water. She barely made it, without the aid of another donor and the genetic roulette that dealt her an AB blood type, she would have bled to death before his eyes. He was always thankful for that day and took all the lessons he could from it making sure he put each and every one of them to work. He would talk to his love and decided if the newest donor was worth the risk. She had become fond of Boston, and probably wouldn't mind spending a little more time here either. If they decided to stay they would invest some time into hacking Massive Dynamic's research, they were close by and may have some of the answers they were looking for.

**A/N**

**I know I'm a bad author and it took me over a year to update, I'm so sorry, but there's Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 is pretty long but I'll be posting that one a little later. Please review both chapters and I'll try not to take so long next time.**

**A/N**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

**Ok, here's Chapter 10, I don't own Fringe and again I'm really sorry for the wait. _  
**

**A/N  
**

Chapter 10  
The computer gave a beep and not the happy one Astrid was hoping for. She had widened the search three times and made the parameters as open as possible hoping to get a hit. She searched literally every database in the United States and came up empty. She knew she'd need Broyles to push her search up to INTERPOL level but she was hoping she wouldn't have to bother him either. A tech named Mat had called looking for Olivia to give her the results of their fingerprint search which, not surprisingly, turned up zilch. Fringe division had the the ability to cast a wider net than the rest of the FBI, so she wasn't disheartened until the latest results came up. Another beep sounded followed by buzzing made Astrid whip around to the computer screen with a hopeful look, but the screen still had no good news as the buzzing continued. She grabbed her phone as a picture of Rachel lit up the screen.  
"Hey Rach!, what's up?"  
"Hi, how's my favorite FBI agent?" Rachel responded.  
"I'm not an agent yet, and isn't Olivia supposed to be your favorite?"  
"She is until you become a full fledged agent, just don't tell her I said that." Rachel laughed "I was actually calling to see what you were doing tonight."  
"Honestly, nothing. I'll probably be at the lab for a while waiting for results, why what's up? Hoping for another secret girl's night out?" Astrid asked remembering a tequila Tuesday she and Rachel had gone to while Olivia was away working a case. It was a good thing Walter was as laid back as he was, the Wednesday morning after brought a killer hangover, anyone else might have written her up. Walter instead made up some concoction that put her back on her feet while recounting his own drinking memories.  
"Not tonight, but sometime soon." she said a smile evident in her voice, "We're actually working out dinner plans, do you want to join in?"  
"Who's we?"  
"Me, Olivia, Peter and this guy Mat I met this morning."  
"I don't know, it sounds like I'll be fifth wheel on this double date."  
"Nonsense, you know Peter and Olivia are completely blind to the fact that they should be together and me and Mat just met. Why don't you ask Agent Broyles if he wants to come? You two spend so much time together as it is."  
Not again, Rachel had been pushing her to spend time with Broyles outside of the office for months, something about relaxing rank or some other nonsense.  
"Rach, I don't know if that's a good idea."  
"For Pete's sake Astrid just ask, what's the worst that could happen? He'll say no?" she said rehashing some of the world's oldest advice.  
Astrid took a deep breath and let out a sigh of surrender, she had to call him anyways, might as well ask.  
"Alright, just this once, and if he says no I'm never asking again, got it?" she said sternly.  
"You've got yourself a deal. I'll text you when I know what's happening and let me know what Broyles says ok?"  
"Yes Rach, I'll talk to you later then."  
"Bye my favorite FBI agent."  
"You're ridiculous, you know that? Bye." Astrid said with a laugh before hanging up.  
She looked at the screen still flashing 'NO MATCH FOUND' she sighed and looked down at the phone in her hand and sighed.  
"Now is a good a time as any." she told herself.  
She flipped through her contacts until she found his cell number and hit send. After what felt like a hundred rings he picked up.  
"Agent Broyles"  
"Hey it's Agent Farnsworth."  
"Astrid," his voice softened, "what can I do for you?"  
"I finished the search on the fingerprint we found and there were no matches. I moved it up to cover the entire United States and nothing so far. Can you authorize a search of the continent?"  
"I think it would be better if we moved this up to the international level, we might get more information to if this has happened before. I'll arrange with INTERPOL to get access to their database and any others they may have."  
"Ok, I know Archives is combing through the last decade to see if they find anything similar and they haven't come across anything."  
"If we get a hit on the international we might get more information from any previous investigations which could give us some direction."  
"Alright," Astrid paused and closed her eyes wincing before she went on, "There's just one other thing."  
"What else can I do for you?" he responded an unspoken endearment hanging at the end of his sentence.  
"Rachel just called me and she's making dinner plans with everyone and wanted to know if you would join us."  
"I don't see why not, but with I might be here late."  
"Rachel is planning around Peter and Olivia which means she's making things flexible."  
"Then it's set. I will see everyone tonight. Let me know if you and Walter find anything new."  
"Thank you Agent Broyles."  
"Astrid this is my personal line." he said a rare smirk in his voice.  
"Bye Phillip, you bum." she huffed.  
"Bye Astrid." he said with a deep chuckle, "I'll let you know when I get access from INTERPOL."

Astrid sighed and flipped to Rachel in her contacts to text her. She'd let her know to add two to her dinner reservations wherever they maybe.

"Well that was helpful." Peter told Olivia, the ever present sarcasm in his voice was a little more prominent.  
"It was worth a shot, you know how this works. We go through everything to find a lead."  
"I know that but given the circumstances, they could have just handed us the tapes rather than stonewall us for a warrant."  
"It's the company's right to demand one, even Fringe division can't get around that." she said as she typed out a text to Broyles. Her phone beeped with a response less than a minute later, she read it and smiled."Come on Watson," she told Peter as she headed to the Suburban, "we have it covered."  
He gave her a confused look but still followed her to the car so they could head back to the lab.  
The drive was quiet, a smirk present on Olivia's face the whole time, it faltered for a few seconds when Peter twined his hand with hers. Her look met his dark blue eyes and she turned her attention back to the road a shy smile replacing the knowing smirk. She pulled up to the lab, reluctantly taking her hand back in order to park the large SUV and they headed into the lab.  
"Peter? Is that you?" Walter called from somewhere in the lab.  
"It's me and Olivia, Walter." Peter called back silently praying Walter was wearing pants. Walter poked his head out from behind some electronic contraption and waved before walking toward them wearing an apron that was heavily stained red.  
"Walter is that blood?" Olivia asked.  
"Oh nonsense, I finished the autopsy of Ms. Cornwallace hours ago, this," pointing to the apron, "is food dye."  
Astrid appeared carrying a rather large box of gelatin toward Walter, "He wanted to make red licorice." she said as she passed, "Oh Olivia, Agent Broyles sent those files over, he said they should be in your inbox."

"Files?" Peter asked Olivia a questioning look on his face, "You didn't tell me you were working on another case."

"Thanks Astrid!" Olivia called to the junior agent, she waved her back still turned to Olivia as she watched over Walter. "Come on." Olivia told Peter she beckoned him to follow her with a head tilt toward her office in the lab.  
She dragged a chair behind her desk before sitting in her own chair. When Peter looked at her strangely she patted the seat next to her and then went to work on her computer logging into the FBI version of dropbox. When she pulled up the files Broyles had sent her Peter cocked an eyebrow and looked at her.  
"Is that what I think it is?" he asked her.  
"If you think they are the surveillance tapes from the coffee shop, then yes they are what you think they are."  
Peter opened his mouth to speak but Olivia silenced him with a raised hand.  
"Just leave it, Broyles is very convincing and has friends in strategically placed places."  
"You do realize that placed places makes absolutely no grammatical sense right?" he teased.  
"And that's why I'm an FBI agent and not an English teacher."  
"You'd make a sexy English teacher." Peter said his thoughts leaking out of his mouth before his brain could wrangle them safely away. Olivia whipped around and looked at him wondering if she had heard correctly, the fact that Peter was staring at her still holstered gun like a god given miracle, she probably had.  
"Actually, I make a better Math teacher." she said with a mischievous smile before turning back to her computer. Peter picked his jaw up off the floor while Olivia picked up the first cd Shamir had given them.  
"Ok, if we cross reference the times the phones were bought with the surveillance from the convenience store, we should be able to narrow down the times we need to look at for the coffee shop assuming he bought the phone right before he met her." Olivia said to one in-particular.  
"Why aren't we looking at the day of the first phone call for the coffee shop?" Peter asked.  
"According to Broyle's message, he managed to get one of the techs to do it but they came up empty, she may have gotten his number and waited a few days to call. So we've got to find our suspect the long way." Olivia explained.  
"Well get comfy," he told her, "we have 36 potential winners."  
They both settled in and started going through the footage, fast forwarding and rewinding capturing images of each suspect and sending them off to facial recognition. After about two hours and 27 suspects they came across something odd.  
"Is that a kid?" Peter asked indicating a boy about 10 paying Randy for the burner phone.  
"Yea, but what's a kid doing buying a phone?" Olivia asked.  
"There are kids younger than Ella who have cell phone Liv."  
She shot him a look, "Yes, but a kid doesn't walk into a store of their own accord and buy a phone, usually a parent provides it for them."  
"And you don't see a lot of 5th graders walking around with 40 dollars in their pocket either." Peter added.  
"He was buying a phone for someone else, the question is who?"  
"Could be our burning man or just another dealer, Shamir did say they were popular with the local street pharmacists." Peter's voice streaked with notes of frustration, "Either way we still don't know who this guy is."  
"Not yet, Shamir had cameras on the outside, we might be able to get something off of that." Olivia said remembering the storefront.  
Peter dug Shamir's card out of his pocket, and passed to Olivia whose cell was already in her hand.  
"Shamir" he answered his accent dancing along his words.  
"Hello Shamir, it's Agent Dunham with the FBI from this morning." she told him reminding him of who she was.  
"Aye, I know yuh soung famillyah, how can ah help yuh meh dear?"  
"We were going through the surveillance you gave us and we think someone used a child to buy a phone to avoid being seen by the indoor cameras-"  
"Ah have cahmerahs outside, sum ah dem hidden sum yuh could see. Ah kyah make it bahk to dee stohr now but ah could have what yuh need by tuhmorrow mohnin." Shamir cut in.  
"That would be wonderful, thank you Shamir."  
"No problem, anyting else ah could to fuh yuh babyguhl?"  
Olivia blushed and smiled at the endearment, she hadn't been called that since before her father died.  
"No that's all, thank you Shamir."  
"No problem babyguhl, ah guh see yuh tuhmorrow mohnin den, ahn be kyeaful loohkin fuh whoevah it is yuh loohkin fuh. Ah gey deh feelin if sumting wuh to happem tuh yuh, yuh pahtnah guh nevah fuhgive he-self."  
Olivia glanced at her partner who was now obsessively going over the footage of the child buying the phone and felt herself warm from the inside out.  
"I will don't worry."  
"Ahright den babyguhl ah guh see yuh."  
"Bye Shamir."  
Olivia hung up and turned to Peter who was still running over the surveillance.  
"Any luck?" she asked him.  
"Nothing." he said grimly  
"Shamir can give us the outdoor surveillance tomorrow morning, so let's go through what's left and get it to facial recognition."  
Peter gave a distracted nod and picked up the next CD.  
Another hour passed and they finished up with the remaining suspects, all of their faces scanned and sent off to facial recognition. Olivia attached a note that all of suspects, once identified, be sent off to the DEA to see if any of them had ties to drug rings and if any of those drug rings had ties to Catharine's death.  
"That's all of our suspects from Taj's, now we can start on the cafe." Olivia stated  
Peter stifled a groan with a stretch and a yawn before a thought struck him.  
"Hey Liv," Olivia turned to look at him, "let's skip over to the same time that the kid bought the phone."  
"You think it's the same guy who used the kid." she said to him, he replied with a firm nod.  
She turned back to the computer and scrolled through the files until she found the folder with the date she was looking for. She started the first surveillance camera ten minutes before the boy bought the phone, then pulled up the next two cameras with an eight second stagger between them and set them to play. Olivia was barely able to make contact with the seat before Walter burst through the door with an armful of red licorice.  
"We have perfected it!" Walter said excitedly.  
"Perfected what?" Peter asked cautiously.  
Astrid appeared behind him and answered, "The licorice, he thinks they taste exactly like Twizzlers."  
Walter set a handful of the candy next to Olivia's keyboard, "Is this surveillance of Ms. Cornwallace?" he asked munching on a red strand.  
"Not quite, we're hoping to find her somewhere in there." Olivia explained.  
"Walter, didn't you have me help you with something to make going through surveillance easier?" Astrid asked him.  
"Ah, yes. Come with me." Walter motioned to the door, "I think I have all the parts in the lab."  
"Walter, we really need to finish going through this." Olivia said in a soothing tone, hoping not to hurt his feelings.  
"Pardon me," Walter said in a controlled, hushed tone, "I can see that you have three camera's set up with a stagger to hope that you will not miss something, but with a coffee shop that is open twelve hours a day and seven days a week is seventy two hours worth of tape in which you hope to get every detail. Do you two really think you are capable of doing that before another woman is skinned alive?"  
The room stood silent at Walter's words.  
"Walter, I'm sorry," Olivia said to him, "and yes we do need to get through all of this, before we have another victim on our hands."  
"Walter," Peter called standing up, "show us what you've got."  
"I'll need all of your surveillance files." Walter said as he moved to the door.

"Alright, if you move your head side to side you should be able to see the whole room." Astrid instructed.  
Olivia turned her helmet covered head left to right and took in the coffee shop before her. The shop was empty except for the barista on the other side of its glass doors. Her hair stood suspended in a frozen wind around her face, key halfway in the lock, her purse and apron tucked under her arm.  
"Walter how did you do this?" Olivia asked, still taking in the picture before her.  
"Well it was simple really, Ella was telling me about this virtual reality idea that allows people to think they're in some other world to play a games using helmets and gloves, which is preposterous, everyone knows you can't transfer touch through gloves, you need to make a direct connection to the brain and the-"  
"Walter, point please." Peter interrupted.  
"Ah, yes, yes. Well the helmets have displays that are just slightly larger than the human field of vision can take in, so it gives the appearance of being in the room itself. Astro took care of the rest."  
Astrid gave a small sigh before starting her explanation.  
"We can take almost any decent quality video of a location and convert it into what you're seeing, and, as an added bonus, we were able to mark anyone who had similar features to the victim. It's not as good as what they've got in facial recognition but it might help you get through it all faster. The program will frame anyone with similar features in blue. Any areas in the rendering that are not picked up by the cameras will show up as static."  
"Alright now that we've had the tour, let's take it for a spin." Peter said with a smirk.  
"The two of you should stand back to back, the three cameras gave us almost the whole shop so it will take both of you to see the rendering." Astrid directed sending a devilish look to Walter who responded with a thumbs-up.  
"Let's start about an hour before the boy bought the phone." Olivia told Astrid.  
The scene before her went from freeze frame to fast forward; watching the shops patrons buying their coffee at quadruple speed made Peter a little dizzy, Olivia leaned back slightly against him, the press of her grounding him. They could make out hovering blue boxes every once in a while which meant that the facial recognition was working. The blur of people finally came to a startling halt a few minutes later. Astrid set the video to play, animating the scene for Peter and Olivia.  
Things seemed business as usual, patrons came in, stood in line to order their coffee occasionally something to eat, and then stood in another to collect their steamed, frothed and flavored cups of liquid life. Most left but some chose to linger at the shop's tables and couches, reading, using the wifi or chatting, some obscured by the patches of static where the cameras had missed. The beat of some anonymous indie band moved unobtrusively through the speakers, filling any pockets of silence and made eavesdropping impossible.  
"Look for anyone who isn't distracted, someone who is watching the crowd." Olivia instructed Peter and Astrid.  
"People watching." Peter said.  
"What?" Olivia asked.  
"When someone observes other people's interactions, it's called people watching. It comes in handy when you're trying to learn someone else's customs, people trust people who are like them." he explained.  
He felt when she gave a nod of understanding. The three watched the shop's patrons for close to an hour tracking any woman boxed in a blue frame. The patches of static were disconcerting at first but quickly became accepted blind spots, Olivia constantly scanned the edges of them looking for any detail that could help.  
She felt the muscles in Peter's back tighten and knew before he said a word.  
"She's here." Peter told them. He watched Jessica Cornwallace walk through the commercial double doors in a pair of brown dress pants and a sleeveless green and gold blouse. Olivia left the warmth of Peter's back and turned to watch the designer wait to buy her complex coffee moving from one line to the other. Jessica pulled a tablet out of her massive purse and started to read from it while she waited, they watched as her head jerked up when her name was probably called. She hurriedly pushed the tablet back into her bag and grabbed her paper cup. Olivia and Peter tracked her across the shop as she ambled to one of the smaller high tables with a pair of chairs near a large blind spot. She placed her bag on the table and walked around the table disappearing and reappearing from the static before climbing up and taking a seat on the barstool that wasn't obscured by the blind spot.  
Another ten minutes passed as she took out her tablet once more. She would slide her index finger across the screen, touching different points, bringing them together or moving them apart to manipulate whatever was on the display. They watched a man walk past them into the patch of static that engulfed part Jessica's table, her head bobbed up from her tablet slightly confused before a smile crossed her face, then a blushing along her cheeks as her eyes dropped back to the table and her smile widened. A hand poked out of the static and placed a jacket on the table, next to it, half of a coffee cup appeared.  
Peter's jaw clenched as he watched, his eyes dancing along the edges of the blind spot, they weren't going to get a face.  
"Astrid, rewind your footage and see if you can get this a look at him." Olivia called to her.  
Peter already knew she would come up empty, he was smart, he knew where the cameras were and how to avoid them.  
"I have him entering the building and ordering, but I can't get enough of his features for facial recognition. He's either looking away from the camera or his face is blocked." Astrid reported.  
"He's the same person who had the kid buy the phone. He knew how to avoid the surveillance at the cafe but he couldn't at the convenience store, so he had the kid do it." Peter explained as he watched Jessica being seduced by the killer.  
They sat and watched the beginning of the end for Jessica Cornwallace as she handed her soon to be killer a pen to write down his phone number.  
He slid the napkin toward Jessica and picked up his coat, his seat moved and she looked up at him, laughed and waved good bye. The chair slid back under the table and he emerged from the static, face obscured as he slipped on his jacket. He foiled the last two cameras when he slid on a baseball cap, his face hidden by hands trying to get the perfect fit.  
"I can't get anything off of him, he keeps blocking all the points we need for a facial. I'm sorry." Astrid said softly.  
"It's not your fault." Olivia told her soothingly as her screen went black. She and Peter took off their helmets and placed them on a lab bench.  
"I've got one more thing for you to try," she told Astrid, "pull up the video of the kid who bought the phone. See if you can have that run through facial recognition, but tell them to start with Homeland Security first, if he's left the country in the past year or so they may have something. If we can find him we might be able to get an ID with a sketch artist."  
As Astrid did as she was told, Walter wandered off to another part of the lab and Peter slipped unnoticed to the office, Kadeen's words resonating in his head.  
Olivia walked in and shut the door, "What's wrong?", she asked as she leaned against the doorknob, blocking his only escape. She had cornered him, there would be no slipping away or distractions from the question.  
Peter slumped down on the office couch, the old leather groaned and the cushions sunk slowly under his weight, as if to swallow him like quicksand. They both had spent a decent number of nights on that couch, when a case or paperwork took them late into the night, or simply because they needed to escape the nightmares of home. The idea of wrapping himself around her, to protect her from her own nightmares was revisited. He mentally scoffed, who was he kidding, she was a telekinetic marine and an FBI agent with an Olympic level sharpshooting upgrade who could pass through universes. She could protect herself from almost anything and the things she couldn't would tear him apart, just the thought alone felt emasculating. He looked up at the green eyed blond, her question still hung in the air, waiting for his answer to complete it. The thought of the chair's cool leather pressed against heated skin as he completed her ghosted through his mind. He shook the thought and faked a smile as best as he could.  
"Would you believe me of I told you nothing?" he asked coyly, there was no getting away, he was stuck, the door was blocked by a woman with a gun. She would get what she was coming for.  
"No.", she said simply, to the point. She didn't return the cardboard smile, she wasn't going to let him side step the question or charm his way out.  
"There is nothing wrong, I'm mentally sound and perfectly fine." he stated to her.  
"Peter, we've been partners for a few years, I know when you're lying." echoing his words from the other night back to him.  
Peter slumped back against the couch, eyes at the ceiling. Olivia watched him as he folded his hands over his waist, she may have won but she knew not to push.  
"We've got guy who can melt brass and is skinning women for god knows why. He's also using children to buy phones and knows how to avoid surveillance better than I can and we've got nothing on him."  
"We've been in this situation before Peter, and we're not at a complete dead end either. We have to wait, there is nothing else we can do right this second.", she moved from the door and sunk into the leather beside him, "So now that we've ruled that out as what's bothering you, maybe you can tell me what's really going on."  
He tilted his head up to face her, his eyes pinning hers, it was her turn to feel cornered.  
"This girl ..."  
She felt her stomach drop as questions started forming. It had to have been about this morning, there was someone else and she over-stepped her bounds, but why was he in her bed if he was committed to someone else? When did he get the time? Work consumed most of her life, but that didn't mean it had taken over his.  
He saw the sadness flow under the confusion that clouded her face, he shared her confusion for a moment before he realized his mistake.  
"It's not what you think." was all he got out before she stood up and moved for the door. He couldn't let her run, she'd never let him explain, he grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly back to him. Olivia spun to face him, he saw the hurt that had pooled in her eyes crystallizing to fury, he was definitely getting shot.  
His grip was like a vice, she needed to get away, she needed to put as much distance between them as humanly possible. She jerked her arm back trying to reclaim it but he was to strong, not that strength was ever a problem for her in an opponent.  
He knew what was coming once he didn't let her pull her arm back, if he didn't act quickly he was going to wake up on the floor in a few hours with a massive headache and no Olivia. She moved her free arm to to break his grip at the wrist, she got halfway there before Peter's chest slammed into her pinning her arm against her chest. Peter's arm wrapped around her waist lifting her up, she went off balance with the force and was easily turned in mid-air as he directed her momentum so her back slammed into the couch cushions. As soon as she was down he hauled himself on top, straddling her and pinning her arms above her head. He ended up with his cheek against hers, lips pressed to her ear his face hidden in the gold locks trapped beneath her.  
"Catharine," the whispered name made Olivia's stomach churn, "the girl Shamir lost."  
Her confusion deepened at the words he whispered to her. "She was alot like you he says, she would do anything to help someone, to right a wrong, even if it would mean putting herself in the line of fire. He knew he could never stop her, just like he knows I could never stop you. I've seen you get hurt, I've almost lost you god knows how many times, but this is the first time I've had to face the fact that I can't protect you and I never will be able to. I can't even begin to comprehend what I'd go through if lost you."  
Olivia's breathing slowed and her wrists relaxed at his confession, he released her hands and slid off of her onto his side, pressed between her and the back of the couch. He watched as she stared at the ceiling, the molten anger and adrenaline draining out of her as she sat processing all the things he had just tumbled at her feet. She wasn't sure how to feel or how to reassure him, he was right, if he ever held her back to protect her she would resent him and putting herself in the line of fire was part of her job description. A hand on her hip moved her out of her own head. He whispered for her to sit up, she complied as he slid the stiffness of her suit jacket off of her and laid it over the back of the couch to rest with her thoughts and responsibilities. He pulled her back down to the couch so her back was against his chest, and pulled her close with an arm around her waist. He placed a chaste kiss on the back of her neck causing her to shiver, he smirked against her skin before tucking her head beneath his chin. It was becoming a familiar position that invoked the sleep that always eluded her.  
Astrid stumbled upon them about an hour later, she beckoned Walter in to see them. To her, the ear to ear smile was worth the risk of rousing the sleeping 'couple'. He wanted to give them a blanket 'so they wouldn't catch a cold', but Astrid thought it better they didn't leave any evidence that they discovered the two catching a nap. No one in Fringe division got much sleep, besides if they slept all day, they could afford to be up all night she thought with a devilish smile. The two snuck back out of the office and left them to sleep for a few more hours.

**A/N**

**So Chapter 11 is done it was originally part of 10 but that came up to be 24 pages so I split them at page 9 so 11 will still be pretty long, I really hope it's not boring. I won't post 11 yet, I haven't started Chapter 12 because I got a little sidetracked with Astrid's story and ended up with about half of a chapter so I will try and finish it ASAP. When it's done I will post it as a sub-chapter along with Chapter 11. Please review and lemme know how I am doing, if you love it tell me, if you hate it still tell me, if you like it but think something should be different or want more detail tell me ... ok I think everyone gets the idea.**

**A/N**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N **

**Tony, Tony, can you look around, something's been lost and can't be found.**

Ok, I know I usually do double posts but I lost my iTouch which has Chapter 12 on it, which was in progress. Luckily I had already saved Chapter 11 to my computer. So before anything else gets lost, it's going up. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and it putting up with my infrequent posts. I am sorry, I have not abandoned you I swear.

**A/N  
**  
Chapter 11

Olivia woke from a dreamless sleep, the soft dusk light that covered the office was fighting a losing battle against the dark. Peter's arm was still wrapped possessively around her, at some point he managed to untuck her blouse and take claim of the bare skin below her breasts. What he told her still tugged at her mind, she didn't know how to fix it, she couldn't change what she did, deep down she didn't think he would want her to either. Peter's hand moved beneath the cotton of her shirt causing her breath to hitch. The office was getting darker, as the sun retreated behind the horizon, Olivia checked her watch, 6:45, they had been out for longer than she thought and there was still paperwork to do before they all met for dinner. Reluctantly she untangled herself from Peter's warmth and headed to her desk.  
Peter woke to find two things, he was being blinded by a lamp and Olivia was gone. When his eyes adjusted he glanced around the office, it looked like a tornado hit Olivia's desk. Stark white papers covered every square inch like fresh snow. it was enough to make some wonder if there really was a desk under there. Peter pulled himself from the couch and went in search of Olivia.  
Olivia's phone beeped a notification at her, she made a face as she fished it from her pocket hoping nothing had gone wrong. Astrid had sent her the time, address and phone number of a restaurant named Omni. Always detail oriented that girl, she was going to make a fine agent one day, Broyles would make sure of it. They had an odd relationship but they kept it under wraps for good reason, Broyles was fiercely protective of Fringe division so she knew he would never let anything happen to her if someone started asking questions.

"Hey." Peter called to her.

"Hey yourself sleepyhead."

"When did you wake up and what happened to your desk?"

"About an hour ago, I figured I'd let you sleep while I got some paperwork done."

"Does paperwork usually multiply like tribbles?"

"Somedays I wonder."

An amused smirk crossed his face.

"What?" she asked.

"I didn't think you knew what a tribble was."

"I managed to get some star trek reruns in my childhood too." she said with a laugh.

They spoke, Peter's confession still lingering in the back of their minds, placed on a shelf to be dealt with later. Peter's stomach grumbled at him for not feeding it.

Olivia smiled and patted his stomach,"C'mon, let's get you some dinner, we're supposed to meet everyone soon."

"Where's Astrid and Walter?"

Olivia pointed to a note in Astrid's handwriting, "She went to drop Walter home, and meet Rachel. They're probably getting ready at my place."

"It's just dinner, isn't it?"

"Yes but Astrid is probably covered in lab gunk and Rachel would have had her hands full getting Ella dinner and packing her up. I've got clothes so I'll change before we go too."

He quirked and eyebrow at her she ignored it and headed to the office, Peter lingered by the sensory deprivation tank for a few minutes, unsure if to follow or to stay.

"Peter can you help me with something?" she called from the office.

The decision was made for him. He pushed open the door to find Olivia in jeans, black socks and a black sleeveless turtleneck that was currently gaping open in the back giving flashes of her bra. Peter just stood and stared for a second, his thoughts going back to the couch.

"I forgot this has a zipper in the back." she said with a sheepish smile.

She turned her back to him so he could zip her up. Peter moved to stand behind her, her hair was loose, a rare liberation from its usual low ponytail. He brushed it aside exposing the skin of her neck, a faint scar still showed where she had the tattoo removed, it had been a constant reminder of what had been done to her. It was his fault, he had said no to Walternate and they took her, she paid the price. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her back flush against him and pressed a kiss to the scar. He relished the shiver resounding through the coiled springs that seemed to make up her body. He rested his chin on her shoulder,

"I know I can't protect you, I can accept that but for the sake of my sanity please be careful. I don't think the FBI will be able to find someone else willing to put up with me." he whispered to her.

She smiled as he released her and zipped her up.  
Olivia's phone rang, just as he released the zipper, she grabbed it, the caller ID flashing Astrid's picture.

"Hey Astrid."

"Hey Liv, Rachel and I are going to head over to the restaurant, Mat said he'd meet us there and Paul has a plus one."

"He has a date?"

"Not exactly, he's bringing the Lincoln from our world, he figured it would be a good idea to have the same team dynamic as the other side so he's bringing him to dinner to see how things go."

"Okay."

"Liv are you ok with this? If not I can always tell him not to bring him."

"No, it's alright, Lincoln from the other side was one of the people who was good to me while I was trapped there. If he's anything like their Lincoln you'll like him."

"Doubtful, she's picky!" Liv heard Rachel yell from some distance from Astrid's speakerphone.

"I am not!" Astrid countered.

"Okay you two, get going, we'll see you guys there."

"Who's we?" she heard Rachel yell again.

"She's with Peter." Astrid responded.

Seeing where this was going Olivia tried to end the conversation quickly.

"Oooh really, you know he spent the night last night." Rachel teased, sound closer to the phone.

"Okay guys, I'm going now, we'll see you there." she said quickly before hanging up.

She turned find Peter sitting on the couch with a worried expression.

"What's going on?"

"Broyles is bringing our Agent Lincoln to dinner, he may be joining Fringe division if he works well with us."

The worry lines on his face deepened.

"Are you ok with that?"

"Yes," she nodded firmly, "Broyles has a point, we don't know much about the other side so it's better for us to at least have a team equal to theirs."

"That's the team, what about you?"

"I'm fine, I promise. The other side's Lincoln did nothing to harm me, he was nice even. I'm okay with this, on a professional level and a personal level. Now can we please get some dinner?"

"Sure, but you might want shoes first."

Olivia looked down at her socked feet, then back at a smirking Peter, and then at her gun.  
Peter followed her gaze and saw her looking at her holster, his hands immediately went up in mock surrender,  
"I was only messing with you, if you want to go in socks that's your decision."

Olivia shook her head before pulling out a pair of black leather heeled ankle boots, another attempt from Rachel to diversify her closet. They were square tipped, a halfway point between completely rounded and ridiculously pointy, she won on the plain black leather buy lost ground on the three inch heel. Either way, she needed something to wear and her usual work shoes just looked awkward, even to her. She stood up, adjusting to the extra height, and found Peter staring.

"What?"

He smiled and shook his head, "Let's go before my stomach tries to eat me."

She grabbed her keys and the leather jacket off the back of her chair and followed Peter out with a slight pause when he snagged his jacket off of its peg. Once in the car Peter's hands were busy just long enough to plug the address into the gps before he slipped it into the now familiar embrace of hers. It stayed there comfortably for the entire drive over.  
Olivia reluctantly untwined her hand from Peter's to park, they found Astrid and Rachel inside the waiting area of Omni, still bundled in their jackets talking and laughing. Olivia shed hers as she walked in, preferring to hold it in the warm space.

"Well somebody finally let their hair down." Rachel called to them.

Olivia ducked her head smiled as she walked over to them, her cheeks taking on a slight pink color.

"Where is everyone?" she asked the other two girls.

"Mat's parking." Rachel responded holding up her phone.

"Paul left the office 20 minutes ago so he shouldn't be to long ..." Astrid trailed off staring behind them as they heard the restaurant door open and shut, Peter and Olivia followed her gaze.  
The two young men's conversation stopped abruptly when they found four pairs of eyes staring at them.

"Hey guys," Mat paused taking stock of what was going on, "am I late or something?"

Rachel was the first to unfreeze as she was the only one not clued into the situation the second man had presented.

"No, you're just in time. We're just waiting on Olivia's boss."

"Alright, do we want to wait for him here or at a table?"

The man behind him cleared his throat.

"Oh yea, this is my friend Lincoln, turns out he's meeting someone here too."

Agent Lee's doppleganer, their world's Lincoln Lee stood before them.

"Hi, I'm Rachel, this is Astrid, Peter and my sister Olivia." she said motioning to each in turn.  
Olivia surprised Peter and Astrid by stepping forward first.

"Nice to meet you Agent Lee." she said with and extended hand, "I believe it's us you're meeting for dinner."

"Is the fact I'm an agent really that obvious?" he said with a laugh.

"No Broyles gave us a heads up." Peter said following Olivia's lead, if she was okay with it then he could be as well.

When it came Astrid's turn he gave her a curious look, "Have we met before?" he asked her.

"I don't believe so."

"Are you sure?" Lincoln asked

"Maybe in different time I guess.", Astrid said with a smile.

"Maybe." he said with a smile mirroring hers, he shook his head before addressing the group, "Where's Agent Broyles?"

"Here."

Broyles shed his coat as the door closed behind him. Astrid walked forward to greet him with a hug, an embrace he returned with a smile and fatherly affection.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it out from under that paperwork."

He stood back to look at her,"It goes faster with practice and I've had a lot of practice." he told her with a chuckle.

Broyles turned his usual serious look to Lincoln, "Agent Lee, I see you've become acquainted with everyone already."

"Yes Sir."

"You can call me Paul, we're not in the office anymore Lincoln."

"Yes S-Paul." the words slipped strangely off Lincoln's tongue.

Astrid gave an amused smile as the pink color of a blush began to show under Lincoln's cheeks.

"Table for Bonnie and Clyde?" a waitress called slightly confused.

"That's us!" Rachel called.

They were seated at a table that had a large booth style couch on one side and three dining chairs on the other. Broyles and Olivia each took a chair, Peter took the last chair beside Olivia and the other four slid into the booth side putting Rachel and Astrid in the middle with Mat next to Rachel and Lincoln finding himself next to Astrid. An awkward silence settled over the table as their waitress passed around menus.  
The group spent most of their days at work, without the familiar behavioral contract the office provided, all the lines and boundaries changed but no one knew what they were. Broyles made the first move, when the waitress asked about drinks. He looked at the group for a moment and then turned to the young girl.

"Give me Johnny Walker on the rocks, Jameson, also on the rocks, a Dogfish Head 90 minute, a Rouge Dead Guy Ale, a margarita, a cosmo with a cherry and," he gave Mat an appraising look, "a Heineken."

The looks that the waitress left behind ranged from Lincoln and Mat's panic to Astrid and Rachel's bubbling smiles. Olivia wore a contented smile while Peter had donned a look reserved for proud parents.

"There's no way my file lists what I drink ... right?" Mat blurted.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back as laughter tumbled from Rachel and Astrid.

"I haven't seen your file, should I be looking into it?" Broyles asked Mat.

"Um, no sir." he replied sinking slightly into his seat.

"Ok Broyles, let's not torture him to much, I'm pretty sure Rachel would like to see him again." Olivia said.

Broyles cracked a rare grin.

"Someone want to tell me what just happened? How do you even know that Rouge actually exists?" Lincoln asked of Broyles.

Broyles turned to Peter, "You care to explain? It is a page out of your book."

Peter smiled, his blue eyes lighting, "Nah, somethings are better left as secrets, but by all means, pass it along later, you never know when it'll be useful."

"When what will be useful?"Lincoln asked, now more curious than concerned.

"Knowing a person's drink before they've told you, it puts them off balance." Olivia explained.

"It also helps give the illusion that you hold much more control and information than you may actually have." Peter added, "It comes in handy when you're negotiating a deal with nothing."

"What is it exactly that you do?" Lincoln asked Peter.

"I'm simply a consultant." Peter replied.

"We can get into the specifics of Peter's role with Fringe division some other time, preferably when we are on company time. For now I'd like you all to enjoy the evening." Broyles gently ordered.

The waitress returned with the drinks Broyles ordered, she placed them in front of him. When she gave him an 'Is that ok?' look, he nodded sending her off. He passed Olivia the Jameson, Peter the Dogfish head, Mat the Heineken, Rachel got the cosmo, Astrid the Margarita, Lincoln the Rouge and he kept the Johnny Walker.

Peter eyed Lincoln's bottle before looking to Broyles "How did you even know about the Rouge?"

"I have my ways." Broyles said cryptically.

"Don't bother trying, I've asked, pestered and annoyed him for months about things and even I still don't know." Astrid told Peter, "He's worse than Fort Knox."

"Getting into Fort Knox isn't that hard." Peter joked.

"Now that you're part of the FBI it's not." Olivia told him taking a sip of her whiskey.

"We can get into Fort Knox?" Mat asked.

"Anyone can get into Fort Knox, they do tours." Rachel told him, "I went with Ella, there isn't much to see."

"Agents can get into the good parts." Astrid told her.

"Paul, can Astrid take me take me to see the good parts of Fort Knox when she grows up?" Rachel asked teasingly, getting a chuckle from the table as

Astrid hid her face behind her hands and shook her head.

"Remind me to keep my mouth shut." she said to Lincoln as he patted her on the back.

"I'll try." he said as he smiled at her.

"Yes, she can, or I could just take the three of you when Ella is on break from school." Broyles offered, "I have vacation and the Borough has been on my back to use it."

Olivia, while surprised at Broyle's offer, understood why he hadn't taken his vacation. Work had consumed his life, stripping him of his family and left him with few friends outside of work. Vacation to most agents only served as a reminder of how alone they were.

"A-are you you sure?" Rachel stuttered.

"Of course." Broyles answered.

"If he wasn't going, he'd be wearing a path through the floor of his living room from pacing." Peter joked.

"Unfortunately that's most of us." Lincoln told Rachel, Mat nodded to her in agreement.

"Hmm, and to think, all this time I just thought Olivia was being weird."

The table laughed as Olivia shot Rachel a mock dirty look before smiling at her little sister.

"Is it the same way for you Mat?" Rachel asked her date.

"Eh, some days it is, some days it isn't. If they,", he gestured toward Broyles, Olivia and Peter, "stumble across a case then we show up to collect evidence, the size of scene dictates how long we're there. When things go back to the lab to be processed it can be quick and easy like print lifting or take some time like DNA. We get to work more regular hours at the lab and mostly put in odd hours when what we may find is time critical to agents."

"So you're not as much as a workaholic as the rest of us?" Olivia asked jokingly.

"Well it's the first time I've gotten to see Lee in about a month so maybe not."

Lincoln's cheeks turned pink his sheepish look making Astrid giggle.

"That's how it's like with both Olivia and Astrid." Rachel said, "Some days I think I spend more time at Liv's apartment than she does and scheduling time to see Astrid is harder than trying to see our senator."

It was Astrid's turn to blush, the pink that colored her cheeks quickly turned red when she found Lincoln chuckling. She reflexively gave him a small shove with her elbow, this gave the opposite effect she was hoping for as Lincoln's chuckles turned into laughter.

"I wouldn't pick on her if I were you Lincoln.", Peter warned, "That's Broyles' little girl."

Lincoln's laughter quickly choked itself into the wide eyed panic from before.

"He's your dad?!" he worriedly asked Astrid.

Astrid kept her poker face and looked to Broyles for a play. Lincoln looked from Astrid to Broyles' stone sour expression under a quirked brow.

"Enough messing with the new guy, he's going to have a heart attack before we even get dessert." Rachel broke in.

Broyles' expression softened with an upturn on one side of his mouth. The half smile let Lincoln know he'd been had ... again.

"I'm beginning to think you and Peter have been having secret meetings behind my back." Olivia told Broyles with mock disapproval as she finished her whiskey.

Peter's devilish grin graced his face, both men we're saved from giving an answer when a waitress approached the table. She asked about orders and refills. Unfortunately picking on Lincoln and Mat meant that no one had looked at the menus. The waitress offered to get another round of drinks while they made their choices. For a few minutes the table was silent while the plastic pages were turned, the glossy pictures reflected the low lighting showed pictured of dishes from around the world meant to tantalize the palate.

"They serve family style so whatever you get will be enough for at least three people." Astrid told the table.

"Should we just order a few things then?" Lincoln asked.

"Variety is the spice of life." Broyles answered simply and returned to looking at his menu.

Mat and Lincoln shot each other confused glances over the girls bowed heads. Lincoln got an idea and held up his menu blocking his face from view. He gently nudged Astrid with his elbow earning him a curious look from her rich brown eyes.

"Can you translate? I am not yet fluent in Broylespeak" he whispered.

Astrid stifled a laugh and whispered back, "Get whatever you want, the more things to try the better."

Lincoln nodded his understanding and turned back to pages before him to tackle the task of picking just one of the restaurant's many dishes. The table stayed mostly quiet as they made their decisions, occasionally breaking the silence to check for duplicate orders when the waitress returned with their drinks and took their orders.

"We're never going to finish all of that food." Mat pointed out once the waitress left.

"Leftovers are an agent's best friend." Olivia quipped.

"Unless her partner can cook." Peter added.

"You can cook?" Lincoln asked with a doubtful tone.

"He's actually pretty good, it's the only way I know Olivia doesn't starve to death." Rachel joked.

"What about you? Do you cook?" Mat asked of Rachel.

"I do have to Ella to feed." she said with a smile, "Why do you ask?"

"I love to cook, my sister and I would spend entire days making anything and everything." Mat explained, "Maybe all of you could come to my place one day. I'll show you how we do food in the West Indies." he suggested cautiously.

"Where are you from?" Peter asked.

"My family is from Trinidad but my sister and I were born and raised in Jersey." Mat explained.

"Lincoln, you're from New Jersey, is that how you to know each other?" Broyles asked.

"Sort of, I grew up in Jersey but moved to Philadelphia for my Dad's business. I was visiting friends in Teaneck when I met Mat."

"My sister's boyfriend lives in the town over and was friends with Lincoln. We met at his birthday barbecue, and it was bromance at first sight as my sister put it." Mat explained.

"We stayed in touch and Mat eventually ended up in Wilmington and since then, we've been good friends." Lincoln said completing the story.

"How about you and Rachel?" Lincoln asked Astrid.

Astrid turned to Rachel with a smile, before looking back to Lincoln.

"Unfortunately, that's classified." Rachel explained.

"Let's just say we met during a case, under unusual circumstances and we, like you and Mat have been inseparable since." Astrid offered.

"Aw, that's not fair. You can't tell us anything?" Mat asked.

"Not unless they want to go to prison for treason." Peter chimed in.

"That bad huh?" Lincoln asked Astrid.

Astrid nodded as she sipped her Margarita. Fringe division was great, sure it got complicated, messy and just outright weird, but they had formed a tight knit family that cared for each other. Unfortunately Astrid didn't always have someone to relate to, fortunately, she and Rachel got paired under unusual circumstances, they bonded instantly. Rachel pulled Astrid out of her shell and comfort zone and Astrid kept Rachel grounded. She had her father and Broyles, yes, but she couldn't take everything to them. She found that Rachel was the same way, she had Olivia, but Liv had enough on her plate without Rachel adding her side dish of troubles. Astrid obviously couldn't tell Rachel everything about work-it's why she was oblivious to the implications of Lincoln's presence- but Broyles provided an outlet for that. She remembered one case that shook her up, he took her out for ice cream. The thought that he had no idea what to do made her smile, but he tried and that was all that mattered.

"What's got you all smiles?" Lincoln asked.

"Nothing." Astrid said as she glanced at Broyles who was in conversation with Peter, Olivia had leaned back in her chair nursing her second whiskey and giving the two men a chance to talk.

"It's just that we work together but we've also become a bit of a family. We rarely get to be like this, together without the pressure of a case bearing down on us." Astrid explained to Lincoln.

"Well it looks like your friend and my friend want to be a little more than family." Lincoln pointed her attention to Mat who had slipped his arm around Rachel, toying with a stray lock of hair.

They had slipped obliviously into their own little world of conversation. Astrid sat a few inches from Rachel but she might as well have been a million miles away.

"Rachel did have her eye on him since they met. They've been texting non-stop all day." she said turning back to Lincoln.

"I noticed, he was glued to his phone the whole way here. I haven't seen him like this about a girl in a long time though."

"Why's that?" Astrid asked, covertly looking for any land mines she may have to warn Rachel about.

"Mat's a little odd about women, he got hurt pretty badly a while back, since then he's kept women at arm's length. He and his sister got into a huge fight about it a week ago."

"Does his family usually meddle in his love life?" Astrid asked taking mental notes.

Lincoln smiled, "Not usually, Mat's just very stubborn and occasionally needs a swift kick in rear. That's where his sister came in and judging by what's going between him and Rachel, I think she may have gotten through his thick skull."

"So whoever he ends up with should have his sister on speed dial." Astrid commented.

"Not really, they'd just have to be willing to knock him on his ass every once in a while."

"In that case Mat may have just met his match."

"Is that so?"

"I've seen Rachel take on Broyles, I doubt Mat will be a problem."

"Brave woman."

"It runs in the family." Astrid said nodding to Olivia who had joined into Peter and Broyles' conversation.

"I'll be sure to warn Mat."

"I might have to warn Rachel."

A not so nice idea popped into Astrid's head and when she caught Lincoln's eye it seemed like he had come across the same idea.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking." Lincoln said more of a statement than a question.

"That we let an unstoppable force meet an immovable object?"

"Exactly."

"One question."

"Shoot."

"How is Mat with kids? Is he ok with the fact that Rachel is a single mom?"

Lincoln smiled and broke out into a chuckle.

Astrid's eyebrows knitted in concern, "This is a serious, Ella is like my niece." she said angrily.

Lincoln's smile didn't falter as he took in the now angry woman next to him, he was pretty sure the smile that was plastered on his face was making her angrier but he couldn't help it, she looked so cute pissed.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you angry but it's funny because Mat loves kids, he wants at least four."

Astrid's jaw dropped, "What do you mean 'at least' four."

"He wants a large family, don't get me wrong, he doesn't actually expect a woman to give birth to four plus children, he would love to adopt too."

"Um ... ok? I guess?" Astrid's words failed her.

"So, are you going to tell her or let both of them figure it out on their own?" Lincoln asked.

"If I told Rachel you said that Mat is as stubborn as a mule she probably wouldn't even give it a chance. I'm assuming Mat would run for the hills if she knew he didn't stand a chance against Rachel." Astrid assessed.

Lincoln who had propped his head up on his knuckles, nodded his confirmation.

"But they are apparently perfect for each other."

Another nod from Lincoln.

"Okay we keep our mouths shut." Astrid concluded as she looked over at her friend and date who were wrapped up their own little bubble.

What she didn't see was what Lincoln did with her moment of distraction. She really was beautiful, but she didn't quite seem to know how beautiful she was. He barely knew her but she already had a hold on him. She's perfect, pretty but humble, smart but playful, funny and very caring. Shit, he was in over his head in under five minutes, what the hell was he going to do.

Mat listened to her with rapt attention a smile tugged at the edge of his mouth as Rachel talked about Ella. He honestly couldn't wait to meet her, but he didn't know how to say it without sounding insincere.

"You know, you surprised me." Rachel told Mat

"How so?"

"Most men run for the hills at the sight of a single Mom."

"I'd like to think I'm not most men. Besides my mother and sister would have my head if I ever thought like that."

"You and your sister seem close."

"We are, we were born exactly two years apart, give or take a few hours and my mom made sure that we always had each other's back. She didn't want either of us to ever have to be alone. My sister is my partner in crime and my best friend and I have my Mom to thank for that."

"Sounds like a smart woman."

"She had good intentions."

"Speaking of intentions, what are your intentions with Rachel." Broyles asked Mat.

"Umm ... noble ones?" Mat half asked half stated caught completely off guard.

"Mostly noble at least." Rachel told Broyles wickedly.

Mat's brown skin reddened at Rachel's words. Rachel was not one of Broyles' employees, she was still like family but every family has a problem child. Broyles enjoyed the challenge Rachel brought, after all of the yes sir, no sir, Rachel's defiance was a breath of fresh air and he hoped it would rub off on Astrid a bit as well. Broyles surprised Mat and Lincoln with a smile, Lincoln got what Astrid meant about Rachel being a brave.

"So Mat, what are your not so noble intentions?" Broyles asked.

Mat started to stammer a response but the universe took pity on him when the waitress showed up with place settings while another waiter and waitress showed up with two large plates a piece. Once everything was set down they went back and brought the other half of the meal.

There was Pad Thai with shrimp, an Italian eggplant parm with still bubbling cheese, a platter of sushi, Indian chicken tikka and paneer, an Afghan platter with roasted lamb and saffron rice mixed with currants, Spanish paea with seafood, a West Indian plate of curried goat and roti, and a roasted duck with noodles in coconut curry. An extra table was added to accommodate all of the plates and the table of FBI personnel stared slightly dumbfounded at the amount of food that had been brought to them.

"I don't think anyone will be cooking for another month." Lincoln commented.

Broyles chuckled, "No, I think not. Now if everyone will stop staring and start eating we might actually be able to put a dent in all of this food."

Peter's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly which sent the table into laughter.

"Pass me the duck." Peter grumbled amongst the dying laughter as everyone began to fill their plates.

Olivia feeling sorry for him patted his knee under the table, Peter slipped his hand into hers and stroked his thumb over the back of hers letting go when Lincoln asked if he could try some of the duck too. The release left her feeling empty but the simple touch doubled her heart rate. She was falling for her partner, no, she had fallen for her partner a long time ago, she was just noticing now. They were in unknown waters and she wasn't quite sure what direction to take.

Peter noticed Olivia's troubled mood, his hands were tied at the moment and his work would be cut out for him when they left. He returned to the group as they ate with some small talk, and stories of Walter's antics.

"Who's Gene?" Lincoln asked

"That would be Walter's pet cow." Olivia answered smiling at the surprise that came over Lincoln's face.

"He has a cow?!" Mat said excitedly, "I love cows!"

Mat exclamation pulled chuckles from the table.

"You're, welcome to come visit one day." Peter told him.

Olivia gave her own surprised look to Peter.

"Are you sure?" Mat asked warily, Peter had made it pretty clear he wasn't Mat's biggest fan.

"I don't see why not." Peter responded.

"Ok, sounds good." Mat said almost childlike, he was still unsure of what he may have gotten himself into. He shrugged it off as he returned to his food and talking to Rachel.

Olivia would wait to ask about his change of heart sometime later when they weren't enjoying dinner.  
As they finished what they could of their feast, their waitress came by to pass around dessert menus ensuring them that they can be made to go. A decision to pack up what they had before attempting dessert was made and the plates began to shuffle as everyone filled their containers. The waitresses came back, with help, to clear the dishes and took their to-go boxes promising to bag and return them when they left.

As the table fell silent again, Lincoln nudged Astrid, an action that was becoming common she noticed. She turned to him giving him her full attention with a quirked eyebrow and a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Lincoln couldn't help but smile at the failing stern expression Astrid was giving him.

"Split something with me." he told her.

"What if I want my own?" she asked him.

It was Lincoln's turn to give a quirked eyebrow.

"I've seen the desserts, they're bigger than you." he deadpanned.

Astrid chuckled and agreed to share, this prompted Lincoln to slide closer to Astrid so they touched knee to hip to shoulder. She felt her heart rate speed up a notch at the contact, she ignored it as they looked over the menu together. With him this close she could feel every muscle contraction and relaxation with every shift and fidget he made, it really wasn't helping.

Broyles settled on black coffee, his night wasn't over yet, Nina would be done soon and she didn't like to be kept waiting. He watched as the three couples looked over their menus, he never got to be a father but life had given him a family to watch over and care for. A rare state of contentment had settled over him as he observed them, they had their trials and hardships but tonight they were happy and untroubled and their happiness is what gave him his.

"Banana split?" Peter suggested.

Olivia wrinkled her nose, Walter had turned her off to them once he served her one with Miracle Whip instead of whipped cream.

"Cupcakes?" he asked innocently.

"After that stunt last time?" she said with mock sternness.

"Gateau de leche?"

Olivia shook her head.

"Brownie and ice cream?" she countered.

"Sounds good." Peter agreed setting the menu down.

"You've really never had apple pie a la mode?" Rachel asked exasperatedly.

Mat shook his head, "Nope, we weren't really an apple pie family." he explained with a smile.

Mat pointed to something on the menu, "Have you ever heard of this?"

"Jew-bell-lie?" Rachel tried pronouncing the odd word.

"Close, it's pronounced jah-lay-bee. It's orange, a little strange looking and really sweet. Want to try it?" he asked.

Rachel tilted her head from side to side in quick deliberation before she shrugged, "Sure."

"See anything you like?" Lincoln asked the very quiet Astrid.

"Umm ..." Astrid had been futilely looking over the menu, but his proximity was extremely distracting, "... chocolate cake?"

"Have you ever had black forest cake?" he asked her as he pointed it out on the menu.

Astrid shook her head, she wasn't sure if chocolate cake was even on the menu.

"It's really good." he coaxed her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's like chocolate cake, just better."

"Alright let's go for it." she told him.

He flashed her a smile reserved for gleeful children which she couldn't help but mirror.

When the waitress returned to take their orders, Broyles slipped the waitress a jet black card before she headed off to kitchen. They continued to talk about life which mostly consisted of work, Mat and Lincoln told stories of mischief and discovery in Philadelphia, Rachel and Astrid had their own stories of wandering Boston together. The girls gave the boys suggestions of places to check out around the city, talks of visiting Philadelphia over a weekend had begun when dessert arrived. They were once again left to gape at the portion sizes. Broyles shared a smile with the waitress when she brought over his coffee and black card. She also brought another set of smaller to-go containers knowing there would be more leftovers.

Olivia and Peter worked on the ice cream, they already decided they'd take the enormous brownie home, half for Ella and Walter and the other half for another night.

Rachel stared at the bright orange semi pretzel shaped things on the plate before her. The honey they were drenched in glistened under the soft lights of the restaurant.

"How am I supposed to eat this? And why is there so much honey?" Rachel asked confused.

"You pick it up, it's sticky and a little messy but completely worth it and that's sugar syrup not honey." Mat explained.

Rachel put on a brave face and picked up one of the pretzel things, the syrup immediately adhering to her fingertips. She inspected it a bit more closely, calling it a pretzel wasn't quite right, It was much more intricate, like someone had tried to pipe icing into a skewed Celtic knot. She took a bite, the brittle orange material crunched and broke open spilling the sweet syrup on her tongue. The two contradicting textures managed to work together, the shell had no sugar and it kept the syrup from being overwhelmingly sweet.

"What do you think?"

Rachel, with her mouth still full could only smile and nod happily, as strange as it was, it tasted pretty amazing.

"There's enough here for you take some for Ella." Mat said sheepishly.

Rachel gave him a smile and slipped her hand into his. Mat's face gave to a bit of a dopey grin but he really could care less, he had to admit, his sister was right about him being an ass but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Phillip, can you pass me one of those containers?" Rachel asked Broyles. He was sweet and adorable, he didn't mind that she was a single mother, in fact he seemed to ecstatic at the idea of a kid. It would have struck her as odd but he was genuinely more than ok about Ella.

"How are we supposed to finish this?" Astrid asked, the plate before her held a slice of cake that would feed a giant.

Lincoln shrugged, "One bite at a time." he flashed her a devilish smile before picking up a fork.

Astrid followed suite, the cake (is a lie) was moist with a hint of cherry. A few bites in Lincoln got an idea and pushed one of the maraschino cherries that decorated the rich buttercream frosting over to Astrid's side of the plate. She looked at him curiously as he picked up the remaining cherry and popped it in his mouth, stem and all and gave her a look laced with mischief. Lincoln had thrown the gauntlet and Astrid didn't mind a little competition. Besides Rachel had taught her a few tricks and it was time to try them out, she picked up the second cherry and mirroring Lincoln she put the cherry in her mouth keeping the stem between her teeth. She pulled the fruit free and maneuvered the long stem under her tongue so she didn't swallow it and the cherry at the same time. She managed to pull the stem into a loop and begun to tuck one of the ends in to complete her knot. She continued to work at the stem while checking up on Lincoln who had his eyes down at tablecloth in concentration.

Peter nudged Olivia and caught her eye directing her attention to the competition that had begun between Astrid and Lincoln. The younger agents were oblivious as they watched. They kept quiet as not to alert them to their new audience, talking silently in looks and small motions. It was a unique language developed piece by piece through trial and error, developed in long stretches of time and perfected in close quarters. It had saved both their lives on numerous occasions. They watched as Lincoln pulled his knotted stem from his lips and presented it to Astrid with a look of triumph. A look that did not last long when Astrid holding the end of hers presented two knots in her stem. Lincoln looked dumbfounded for a moment and then smiled, he could obviously be a gracious loser as Astrid was a humbled winner. The temptation of applauding the two was great but Peter and Olivia decided to embarrass them later. The threads of their forming bond may seem strong but they were few, if Broyles was up to what they thought he was, they didn't want cause it any damage. It was better to hold off on five minutes of fun when the payoff could be worth years of picking on the two.

Broyles rose and pulled his coat from the back of his chair, the motion gaining him the attention of the table.

"Leaving already?" Astrid asked.

"Yes, I still have some business to attend to tonight. Dinner is covered." he told the table.

Astrid nudged Lincoln who got the hint and rose so that she could give her farewell.

He shook Peter, Mat and Olivia hands before giving both Astrid and Rachel a hug. He told Rachel that he expected to hear from her about Fort Knox and reminded Astrid that they had a meeting next week. He shook Lincoln's hand last, giving him the full weight of his gaze. He knew what he was doing but like any father would, he worried, he was going to trust this man with his team, his family. The fact that Lincoln did not flinch gave Broyles a small amount of affirmation that he was making the right choice.

Lincoln still had no clue as to why he was at this dinner or why he was in a stare down with the head of the mysterious Fringe division. He still couldn't figure out how Mat tied into this either. They'd talk about it later and get Mat's sister on the phone, she was in the science and engineering division of the DOD but she might be able to find something out that they couldn't. He liked Astrid, actually no, he'd only met her and he really, really, liked her, he liked her enough that he was praying he wasn't being played or used. He had no idea why he felt connected to her, at the same time he couldn't help but feel like he was digging himself into an emotional hole that would collapse on him if she was just bait.  
As Broyles collected his leftovers and headed for the door the others began to pull on their coats and headed for the lobby for their food and sweets that were packed during their good byes.

"Rachel, do you need a ride back?" Olivia asked

"Umm, actually I drove and I was going to drop Mat back at his apartment." Rachel said casting a pleading glance at Astrid.

Astrid got the message, Mat was a good perspective for a mate but having Ella made Rachel more wary when it came to boyfriends, Rachel need to know more before she decided move forward or move on.

"No problem, I'll be able to take the metro back." Astrid assured her.

"Or I could just take you." Lincoln offered.

"Are you sure?" Astrid asked.

"We can always take her." Olivia added, giving Astrid an out if she wanted one.

"I'm sure, besides it's late and while I'm pretty sure you know your way around a gun as well as I do, I think it would be safer if I just drove you." Lincoln told Astrid.

"Alright." Astrid nodded casting an 'It's ok.' look toward Olivia.

Everyone headed into the deep chilled night, packages in hand. Peter and Olivia packed their food into the back seat and settled into the SUV hands entwining as soon as she had the car started. She knew to head to her apartment, his bag still held another day's worth of clothes and he would restock tomorrow at some point. The drive was taken in silence, no words needed, no words to disrupt the forming framework they had been building the last few days.

They treaded up the stairs to the apartment. She had nothing to say, he on the other hand had many words to spill at her feet. He dammed them up with the fear that he might spook her, he didn't know how much she wanted this, or if she wanted it at all. He didn't want to push too hard, he was afraid she'd run, spilling the pieces of his heart behind her. As a result an encore of the last night's dance began, the lights turned off, the door bolted in place, the day's work clothes stripped away replaced by the comfort of worn old shirts and shorts. He watched her slide into bed taking his place behind her, pulling their bodies flush and tucking her head beneath his chin.

"You will not dream tonight." he told her simply, not question nor demand, just fact.

He would follow the steps of this dance for as long as it took, for her, he would do anything.

Olivia let Peter's warmth surround her, her last thoughts before sleep took her were of finding better sleep wear if this were to be a regular occurrence.

A few hours later Olivia woke with a start, the thrashing of a figure beside her pulling her from sleep. She found Peter in a cold sweat gasping for air as his limbs clawed at the sheets.

"Peter! Peter, wake up!" she urged him as grasped his face in her hands. His eyes fluttered open at her command, his smoked blues showed confusion quickly replacing the rapidly wilting fear. Olivia was on her knees beside him one hand his cheek the other stroking his hair.  
She knew what he had dreamt, there was no need to remind him of the night at the lake, his subconscious had done it for him many a time.

"You ok?" she asked.

The ambient city light that filtered through her windows allowed her to just make out his nod.

"Yeah, I'm alright." he told her in a voice spiderwebbed in sleep.

This was not something they accounted for, no protocol in place, both in bed wide awake, covered in grey darkness.  
The addiction he didn't know he had called to be sated, her touch took the edge off but it still burned in his chest consuming him.  
Ah, fuck it.  
He took her wrists and moved her hands from his face, he slid his hands up just above her elbows and pulled her down his lips finding hers. The kiss was accompanied by a rain of Olivia's golden locks falling around them. Her body took action catching herself on her forearms once again this time her front flush against his, the warmth of him soaking though her clothes to her skin. She let herself sink into him, as she deepened the kiss she had long denied herself, the melted toffee of taste of him filled her as he invaded her mouth.  
He parted her lips letting the sweet ginger bite of her spill over him, he slid his hand down her side to hip pulling her to straddle him as he tangled the other in her hair cupping her cheek in his hand. She pulled back breathless when her lungs raised protests for air, her hair a wild curtain surrounding them. Their hearts continued to race as he looked up at her on all fours above him, their eyes locked as the hand at her hip thumbed away the soft cloth of her shirt to find bare skin, a touch that made her breath catch and a reaction that left him with a satisfied smirk. She lowered herself to him, this time of her own accord and with a mission to wipe the smirk off of those lips. She came a razors width away from the sweet, salted toffee of him when the sound of a phone ringing made her jerk back, the spell broken they stared back at each other for another second as things began to sink in. Another shrill ring prompted Olivia to partially dismount Peter as she stretched for her mobile.

"Dunham." she answered.

"It's Broyles, we found another one."

**A/N**

** Yes, it's a cliffhanger I am sorry, and yes it will be a while til I post again but it shouldn't be to long, I go on break in a few days (Woo!) so I will have time to write and hopefully I find my iTouch.  
Please review!  
**

**A/N  
**


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